Life of a Wingman
by iamnotmyselfyousee
Summary: First person perspective. Kurt Hummel has lived his whole life as a wingman to his best friend, Rachel Berry. As a wingman, one gets to sit back and watch everything wonderful happen to the leading lady, forever stuck as the best friend. Never the star of the show. That is, until an alluring Blaine Anderson comes to McKinley and, for the first time, puts him in the front line.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **

**First person perspective. Kurt Hummel has lived his whole life as a wingman to his best friend, Rachel Berry. As a wingman, one gets to sit back and watch everything wonderful happen to the leading lady, forever stuck as the best friend. Never the star of the show. That is, until a confident and alluring Blaine Anderson comes to McKinley and, for the first time, puts him in the front line.**

"**If you don't like the role you're cast, create your own." ~Blaine Anderson**

Long silky hair, shinning eyes, popularity, a winning personality and dating the star quarterback. These are but a few of the qualities of a typical hero, the main character in any award-winning chick-flick that, I'm sure, you've all seen a hundred times. Every story goes as follows; girl meets guy, they fall in love, they get in a fight, her best friend gets them back together and the lead girl and boy live happily ever after.

This story is not about that lead girl. It is not about the blonde cheerleader or the Broadway-striving girl or the linebacker with the winning smile. No. This is my story. You see, I'm what you would call a wingman.

Each leading lady is given a standard posse of one to four people who flank them on the cover of the DVD, looking at her adoringly and proving that, yes, you really do wish you were her.

On a typical Monday morning in McKinley High School a short brunette girl in a flowing dress power walked down the hallway. Her brown eyes sparkled as she approached me.

This was my best friend, Rachel Berry. She was smart, pretty, and was dating my stepbrother (aka the star quarterback). She may not have been perfect, but she was the star of this story, any story, really. She always has been, that's just the way it always will be. Rachel was the one who got the leads, got the guy, and got all the solos.

I guess you could call me a modern day Lilly Moscovitz. Don't know who that is? Didn't think so. Lilly was Princess Mia's best friend from _The Princess Diaries,_ (Though my fashion sense is better than hers by a long shot). See, Lilly was forever in the background of the picture; the best friend who knew everything about her star. As Mia went to Grandma's learn how to become a princess, Lilly went to school and learned algebra. And in the end, Mia got with her brother. So I guess you could call Finn, Michael if that means he gets with Princess Rachel.

Oh, and that was me; tall, slightly awkward, and always in the background.

"Kurt!" Rachel shouted to me.

"Hey, Rachel."

"Kurt, thank god I found you! How does my dress and shoe combination look? There's a representative from NYADA here today and I want to make sure that I look all right. And getting an outfit by you is like getting the okay from Alexander McQueen himself, god rest his soul."

I think it was safe to say that I was considered the "gay best friend".

I looked her outfit over, as requested, because that's what wingmen do. She twirled on her toes, making her white and blue polka-dotted, knee length dress flair out in ripples. Her sparkling, rainbow sequin heels clacked as she stopped the turn.

"As always, you look stunning, but I think those shoes might be a bit much with that dress. Here, come with me, I've got just the thing."

"What would I do without you?"

"You would be a sniveling wreck with no one to live with in New York." I grinned, linking elbows with her and leading her to my locker.

I pulled open my locker, revealing several textbooks and notepads on the top shelf. The bottom half of my locker was like stepping into a Macy's department store complete with scarves, sweaters, button-downs, dresses, and of course, shoes. I sifted through the few pairs of heels I kept in there just for this occasion, pulling out a pair of simple white heels.

"Here, simple but elegant and they won't distract from your natural beauty. That NYADA rep won't be able to turn you down."

She stood on her tippy-toes, wrapping her arms around my neck. "You're so amazing."

Suddenly, as if called by a force of nature, Nicky Maris, one of many Neanderthal football players who seemed to think it was their job to make my life a living hell, came barreling down the hallway toward us. Well, towards me. Since Rachel had started dating Finn, her slushie facials had lessened considerably. Unfortunately, being his stepbrother didn't have the same perks.

The frozen blue drink catapulted out of its plastic canon and into my face.

You see, if this had been a different story, one where I was the star and not just a supporting role, someone might have come to my rescue. Someone might have noticed me and my now soaking clothes. But instead, I stood next to a shocked Rachel Berry in a crowded hallway that acted as though nothing had happened.

"Good morning, Lady Lips!" Nicky shouted as he joined a group of Neanderthals waiting at the end of the hallway.

"Refreshing!" I yelled after him. "Thanks for the pick-me-up, Maris!"

"Kurt," Rachel hissed. "You'll only provoke him."

"Oh don't worry about it. Just a typical morning in one of Ohio's finest learning establishments." I said, wiping the freezing drink out of my eyes.

"What the hell happened?"

We both turned around, facing an angry looking Finn Hudson. He towered over me, which meant he dwarfed Rachel entirely. If you were to look at the two of them from afar, one might think a t-rex was trying to talk to a Munchkin.

"What the hell happened?" he asked again, looking at Rachel. "Look at your dress!"

We all looked down at her dress to inspect the damage. Honestly? I didn't see anything at first. But then Rachel turned her skit just a little bit and I saw it. A blue stain about the size of a golf ball in the back corner. Rachel squealed, near tears.

This was quite the catastrophe. I looked down at my outfit; white button down, now stained from collar to hem with blue; jeans, soaked straight through to my underwear. I would have to change my whole outfit before first period. Well except for my underwear, of course, I wasn't an idiot. Bringing extra shorts to school was a death sentence.

Clearly Rachel's problem was much worse.

I know what you're thinking, but no, I wasn't mad at Finn for ignoring me. It was just how he worked. Finn was a good guy, a little slow on the uptake, sure, but a good guy. He was the star quarterback of our football team and a member of our glee club with me. His mother, Carol, had married my father last year, our junior year, and thus, a new family was born. Carol was nice too. It was good to finally have a girl around to talk about boys with.

"Hang on a sec, Rach," I said, snapping back into reality and turning to my locker. On the door I kept a little basket of Bleach Pens, spare buttons, and thread. I plucked one of my strongest pens from the basket and spun on my heel to face a Rachel who was venting.

"They'll never accept me now! Finn, I need to get into that school, it's my dream. I have to move to New York, I have to get there! Now I'll have to work at Cold Stone Creamery, forced to sing for tips! I can't do it. I can't! It's too humiliating! Rachel Berry was not made to beg for tips! Damn Maris. He's ruined my chances!"

Rachel was a talker.

"Rachel!" I called to stop her babbling, "Calm down and stay still. I'll get rid of the stain."

After moment of vigorous scrubbing and elbow grease, the tiny blue spot was nothing but a distant memory.

"Oh, Kurt, you're the best!" she squeaked.

_That's what the supporting roles are here for,_ I thought to myself.

"It's no problem, I'm always prepared for such an occasion. Now you and Finn should get off to class. I'm going to change real quick."

Rachel thanked him again, taking Finn's hand and leading him in the opposite direction.

Sighing, I pulled out a new outfit; light yellow sweater with a swooping neckline and a pair of dark blue jeans. The yellow would go nicely with Rachel's blue polka dots, something a side character must always keep in consideration.


	2. Chapter 2

I skidded to a stop, catching myself on the doorframe of my English class. It had taken me longer than I had expected to change my outfit. Hey, skinny jeans are tight, all right?

I stumbled in to the classroom, earning a disapproving look from Ms. Cummings, a formality, of course. Ms. Cummings was fresh out of college with a still-too-young face and was arguably one of the coolest teachers at McKinley. She was one of the few teachers at that god-forsaken school that cared about me and was very understanding when it came to my tardiness.

"Mr. Hummel?" she said, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow over light green eyes.

"Sorry, Ms. Cummings," I mumbled, scurrying past her with my head bowed.

I slid into my seat as Ms. Cummings started her lecture again, her short, bright red hair swaying as she wrote feverishly on the board. As it turns out, we would be reading Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_ in the upcoming weeks. Well, at least it wasn't another story with a perfect happy ending. Everyone died and as cryptic as it sounded, I liked that about Shakespeare.

"Psst, Kurt!" Pulling my notebook from my bag, I turned to see Tina Cohen-Chang eyeing me with curious almond eyes. "What happened?"

Like myself, Tina was a co-star; a supporting role in the Rachel Berry Show. Tina was her other closest friend, although I retained my title of "best friend". Like I said before, each leading lady gets one to four people to flank her. That was Tina and I.

"I had a run in with Nicky Neanderthal Maris again this morning. The flavor of the day is blue raspberry, my favorite!" I explained with false enthusiasm.

The corner of Tina's mouth turned downward.

"Kurt," she sighed. "Why don't you let me ask Mike to look after you? You know he wouldn't mind."

Tina had been dating Mike Chang since this past summer, and well, when you date a football player it's like having a "get out of jail free" card, or in this case, a "get out of slushie facials" card. Myself, on the other hand, had no such luck. It's not like there were any openly gay football players in this town.

"Don't get me wrong, Tina, Mike is a good guy, but I doubt he would like playing bodyguard for my ass every day. He can't be around me twenty-four seven." I gave her shoulder a quick pat. "But thanks for the offer."

"Mr. Hummel, Miss Cohen-Chang, is there anything you wanted to share with us?" Ms. Cummings asked.

"Uh, n-n-no, ma'am." Tina stuttered.

Ms. Cummings sighed, handing out papers with the assignment on them. "As I was saying, this project will last us until break, so that means we have a good five weeks to get the creative juices flowing. Shakespeare is a very important part of literature, guys. I know he might just be some dead English guy, but he's not to be taken lightly!"

The class laughed at her attempt at being cool.

"But really guys, these projects-"

The door suddenly burst open, making all of us jump.

And that was the first time I saw him.

He waltzed into the room with a confident air around him. He wore a fitted red and white striped polo and jeans that clung to him in all the right places. All in all, he was beautiful. Everything a leading man should be. And everything I could never have. I knew that he would be dating one of the star cheerleaders within the month. Leading ladies date leading lads and the sidekicks throw rice at their weddings.

His curly, dark hair bounced as he handed Ms. Cummings a note.

She read the note quickly and turned to face us again. "Class, it seems as though we have a new student. This is Blaine Anderson from Westerville. Pleased to have you with us, Blaine."

He nodded to her with an award-winning smile and made his way to find a seat.

I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was gorgeous, like no one I had ever seen. Oh, and I'd been staring too long. He saw me.

Blaine stared at me with hooded eyes as he passed, sitting in the seat behind me.

Perfect.

"Well, I think this works out splendidly!" Ms. Cummings squeaked. "We had an uneven number of people before. Kurt, why don't you work with Blaine? Show him the ropes a little?"

I'm sure my eyes widened to unnatural proportions as they often do when I'm taken by surprise. But I nodded slightly to my teacher, as the noise level in the room seemed in increase with discussion about our assignment. I swallowed hard and twisted slowly in my seat.

And that's when my heart stopped.

Because Blaine was right there. I mean, _right there_. Almost nose to nose with me, his hand resting under his chin and a lazy smile on his oh-so pink, supple lips that were so close to mine. He blinked slowly, staring me in the eyes like he was trying to find something there. No one had ever looked at me like that before. Ever.

"Uh, K-Kurt," I stammered. "I'm Kurt. Kurt Hummel."

"Mmm,"

"And you're Blaine."

"That's correct."

His voice hit me like a ton of bricks wrapped in the softest of cotton. It was silky and low and perfect. I couldn't help the shudder that rushed through me.

"So, uh, I guess we should start this assignment, huh?"

"I think that would be best," He hummed. "What is it that we're reading?"

"_Romeo and Juliet_."

"Oh, really? That's a great story, but I read that back in the ninth grade as a pleasure read."

I could feel my heart going a mile a minute. Handsome and smart? That was a rarity.

"So did I."

Oh, and Blaine's smile. It was one of the best parts about him. It was so beautiful and perfect and hopeful. I'm still convinced it could cure cancer.

"No kidding!" Blaine said with that smile, "Well it's nice to know there's some intelligent life on Planet McKinley."

I started laughing before I'd realized what I was doing. Handsome, smart, _and_ funny? This guy was impossible.

"So seeing as we've both read this already," Blaine said with a smirk, leaning forward on his desk. I stiffened, leaning back. "Why don't we get to know each other instead?"

I could feel my eyes widening at the question. Me? He wanted to get to know me? Why me? I'm just the sidekick, the best friend, why me? It must have been because he hadn't met Rachel yet. Guys like him always end up with girls like her. I turned reflexively to look at Tina who was, of course, staring right back at me, her thin eyes sparkling and encouraging. She smiled and shot me a thumbs up which I promptly shot back with a flip of my middle finger. She laughed.

I turned back to Blaine with the best smile I could muster, "Sure. Why not?"

"Where were you born?" He shot out quickly.

"Here, in Lima," I answered.

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"What is your favorite color?"

"Gold."

"Ooo, interesting. Do you have any pets?"

"No."

"Any siblings?"

"One. His name is Finn."

"What are your parent's names?"

"My dad's name is Burt, my mom passed away, but her name was Elizabeth, and my stepmother's name is Carole. Finn is her son."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"No, it's okay. It happened a long time ago. It's just nice to have a girl around to talk about boys with." I clapped a hand over my mouth as soon as I heard the words escape my lips.

Shit.

"You're gay?" Blaine asked with a tilt of his head.

"Well if my off-the-shoulder yellow sweater wasn't the first give away," I tried to joke, "I would have thought the skinny jeans or high voice might have clued you in."

"Not all people who dress like that or who have high voices are gay. Just the cool ones. It's simply a bonus that you play on my team."

Whoa. Whoa, whoa, _whoa!_ Blaine was… gay? This guy was just getting better and better.

"O-okay," I stuttered. "My turn to ask questions."

"Ask away."

"Uh, well, same questions."

He laughed. "Let's see. I was born in Columbus. I'm eighteen. My favorite color is blue, light blue. I have an old Border Collie named Courage. I have one younger brother. My parents are Samuel and Katherine Anderson. And yes, before you ask, I'm gay."

I smiled to myself at Blaine's easy admission to his sexuality, a silent triumph.

"Uh, okay. Favorite book or author?"

"Ugh!" Blaine cried, "Sophie's choice! There are too many to count. J.K. Rowling, Homer, Jane Austen, John Green, Lewis Carroll!"

My ears perked up. "Lewis Carroll?"

"Sure, I've always been a fan of the impossible."

"Impassible," I quoted. "Nothing is impossible."

He grinned at me, a glint in his eye. "Tell me, dearest Alice, do you know why a raven is like a writing desk?"

"Because Poe wrote on both." I responded with a smirk. "But when Carroll wrote that line, he didn't have an answer for it either."

Blaine's eyebrows shot up to his hairline as the smile on his face spread wider.

"I'm impressed. Most people don't get that one."

"Well, I'm not most people," I said with a bat of my eyes. Where did that sudden confidence come from? That wasn't like me. Blaine must have thought I was being ridiculous.

"I can see that," Blaine said, shifting closer to me, "and _that_ is what I like most about you."

I felt my cheeks getting hotter at his close proximity. This boy was unreal. No one had ever talked to me like _that_ before. Better yet, no one had ever really focused on me for this long before. It has always been the Rachel Berry show. Kurt Hummel was just a side character with little plot development and was good for a laugh when the laugh-track called for it.

Blaine looked over my face with hooded eyes and an expression I couldn't read. It was one that I had never seen before, and one that I certainly had never been on the receiving end of before.

It was an overwhelming feeling, being the focus for once. And if I were being honest with myself, if it was Blaine's focus I was in, I would never complain.

The bell rang.

I shook out of his gaze, slightly lightheaded from the interaction. He gave me a slightly confused look that I did my best to ignore. As I packed my bag, I glanced at Tina who looked back at me as she left the room.

"I-I've got to go. It was nice meeting you, Blaine."

I rushed from the room as quick as I could, clutching my messenger bag to my chest. That was odd. That was not how things went. People like Blaine didn't just come out of nowhere for people like me.

"Kurt!" I heard Blaine shout from the doorway. "Kurt, wait! Kurt!"

I spun on my heel, trying my best to look irritated, "Yes?"

"Why did you leave so quickly?" he asked with slightly winded smile.

"Uh, well, you know, my best friend texted me to meet up with her for lunch."

"That's too bad."

"Huh?"

"That the role of your best friend is already taken. But I guess I could always try out for a better part," Blaine said with a wink. My eyes widened. "Look, Kurt if you aren't busy later, would you like to hang out after school?"

"What?"

"I've only been in town for a little while and I haven't really had the chance to explore. Maybe you could show me around town?"

I couldn't help the smile that broke across my face. Blaine was asking to spend more time with me. Me. No one else.

"Sure," I beamed. "I could show you where our library is and then maybe we could go for coffee?"

"Three of my favorite things, books and coffee!"

"And the third?"

"Huh?"

"Your third favorite thing?"

"I thought that would have been obvious. It's you."

I'm sure the blush that spread across my face could be seen from Google Earth.

"I-"

My phone in my pocket vibrated; this time it really was Rachel.

"I'm sorry, I've got to go," I said, retreating down the hall toward the lunchroom. "But I'll meet you after school at my locker okay?"

"I look forward to it," Blaine called back.


	3. Chapter 3

After Calculus, I headed to Rachel's locker, as always, to see if she needed me for anything. Luckily, she had a dinner date with Finn, so she would be preoccupied this evening. After a quick check of her outfit and a change of purses (at my suggestion), she kissed my cheek and strolled down the hallway to meet Finn.

I waved at her one more time and darted in the opposite direction to my locker. Blaine was already leaning against it, one leg crossed over the other, arms folded over his muscular chest, long, full eyelashes fanned out over his tanned cheeks.

God he was beautiful.

"Hey, there stranger," I said as I approached.

His honey eyes shot open. A look of concern crossed his perfect features.

"Is that what I am to you? Just a stranger?"

"Blaine please," I scoffed as I knelt down, pulling open my locker and putting my books away.

"Is that all I am, though? Just a stranger to you?"

I looked back up at him. His mouth was pulled down into a small frown and his brow was tightly knit over those golden eyes. Why did he have to have golden eyes?

"You're serious."

"Of course I'm serious."

"Blaine, it's just an expression and I only just met you a few hours ago." Blaine's frown deepened as he looked to the ground. Why did this guy care so much about getting to know me? "Look, I have to be realistic, would you feel better if I said we were acquaintances?"

Blaine tried to keep the smile that was creeping onto his lips a bay but was failing miserably. "At least with "acquaintance" there is something to work with. Something that can grow."

I blushed, turning back to my locker and put away my last book. Blaine leaned down behind me, looking into my locker.

"Wow."

"What?"

"You're locker. It's so full. Organized, sure, but full!"

"Yes, well, it's more than just a locked bookshelf for me."

"Clearly. It's more like a bookshelf, a desk, a bathroom burrow, and a- a closet? Wow, you've got a lot of clothes in there. How did you manage to hang them all up?"

"My dad is pretty handy when it comes to hardware. I guess I inherited that a little bit."

"Impressive."

I snickered, picking out my favorite Marc Jacobs jacket that made my hips look awesome and shutting the door.

"Come on, this is supposed to be a tour of the town, not my locker."

"I'm surprised how small your public library is," Blaine said later that afternoon.

We had taken my car around the entire town that afternoon, passing by all the hot spots; the mall, Breadstix, the Dairy Queen. That's about all there was in this town. I made sure to stop at the library. I knew Blaine would like it there, even if the selection was so small.

We sat at the Lima Bean where I introduced Blaine to the best coffee in all of Ohio.

"True, but they're really nice there and they'll do their best to find any book you want from another library in the state," I explained, taking another sip of my grande nonfat mocha latte. Blaine followed suit, taking a sip of his medium drip.

"I have to say, though, I think you make up for it with this place," he said, gesturing to the room around us. "I mean, this is the best coffee to have ever have crossed my lips."

He took another long drag of the hot liquid. As he pulled away, he made the cutest, funniest, goofiest face I had ever seen on a person. I laughed.

"So Kurt."

"So Blaine," I smiled.

"What do you want to do after high school?"

I had to admit; I was a little surprised by the question. Most people around here knew what was going to happen, what had to happen. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked, gauging my expression.

"Oh no! It's just that most everybody around here knows. I keep forgetting that you're new here. You just seem like you've been here forever." Blaine smiled at that.

"But, um, I'm applying to NYADA with my best friend Rachel." I said dully, "For, uh musical theatre."

Blaine watched me closely, his eyes raking over my face, my hunched shoulders, my crossed arms.

"Are you sure?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you sure that's what you want to do? You don't seem very passionate about it. It actually comes across to me as a bother."

"No, no, it's fine. Rachel and I have got to go to NYADA. She and I will get an apartment in New York City. Rachel will graduate at the top of our class. She'll be starring on Broadway by the time she's twenty-one. And she and Finn will get married after she earns her second Tony."

"But what about you?"

"What _about_ me?"

"You changed the whole subject to Rachel. What are you doing while Rachel is doing all this, being in the spotlight?"

I guess I had never thought about it that way. But I did do that, didn't I? I was conditioned to talk about Rachel, to bring every conversation back to Rachel. I couldn't even talk about my future plans without turning the focus back to her.

"I guess I'll be there to cheer her along," I said distantly. "I'll take classes with her, study with her, graduate with her. When she moves to Broadway, I'll audition for the same shows, taking a small side role to support her lead role. When she wins her Tony, I'll watch from the audience and hope that she might thank me for helping her along in her acceptance speech."

"Kurt, that's _not_ a life."

"Well, it's _my_ life!" I snapped, looking down at the table.

Blaine took a deep breath to steady himself.

"Okay," he started, "Let's just say that Rachel isn't here."

"But she-"

"Kurt, please. Let's just pretend that Rachel isn't here. She's not going to NYADA, you're not going to follow her there, and you're not going there to follow her like a shadow! What would you do?"

I wanted to yell at him. I wanted to _scream_ at him. Who was he to make assumptions like that? To waltz into my life and pretend that he knew everything and tell me that I didn't have a life, that I was nothing but Rachel's shadow.

But he was right, wasn't he? I really was nothing but Rachel's shadow, her plaything that she called on when she needed help and tossed aside when she was done.

The whole concept was so foreign to me. No one had really taken any interest in what I wanted or what I thought before. But then there was Blaine, sweet, kind, attentive Blaine, who just wanted to get to know me; who just wanted me to be happy.

"Fashion," I whispered.

"Excuse me? I didn't catch that."

"Fashion," I said, louder this time.

"Like fashion design?"

"Yes, sort of. Don't get me wrong, I love to sing. In fact, I would give just about anything to actually have a solo in glee club for once. Not that that would ever happen. But fashion has always been a passion of mine.

"When I was little," I laughed, "I used to dress up my action figures in handmade outfits that I had made from tissue paper. My mom, before she died, found me doing this one time. I thought she was going to kill me, tell me I was weird or something. But instead, she took me to the store to buy real fabric. She taught me how to sew and cut the patterns I wanted to make. It was fun. I've been doing it ever since, really, but instead of clothes for my action figures, I made clothes for me or my friends."

"So why don't you apply to fashion schools, then?" Blaine asked gently, taking my hand in his. If I hadn't been so focused on the conversation, I might have freaked out a bit at the touch.

"It-it's just never really been on the cards for me," I said truthfully. "I've just always been expected to follow Rachel to NYADA. No one has really asked me otherwise."

"Would you like to go to fashion school?"

"I've never really thought about it, you see. But now that I do, yeah, I think I would. I think I would love to go to school for fashion. I've always loved clothes and designing them." I laughed, "Actually, all of my notebooks are full of runway sketches and fashion drawings in the margins and on pages hidden in the back."

"Can I see them?"

My eyes widened as the fog of confession slowly lifted off of me and I came back into reality.

"I mean, if you want to!" Blaine backpedaled. "You don't have to. That was rude of me, I'm sorry. You don't have to."

"Blaine, Blaine, it's okay. You can see them." I soothed, pulling out my French notebook, knowing all too well that most of my drawings were in there. I didn't need to pay attention in that class anyway.

I offered the red spiral book to Blaine who took it gently, like it was the Holy Grail or something.

He flipped through the pages in silence, looking up at me every now and then. I explained some of the more complicated sketches with feathers, long trains, or extra zippers. Blaine seemed mesmerized by the whole thing.

After a while, he look up at me one final time. "These are good, Kurt."

"Thank you," I blushed.

"No, these are _really_ good," he said again, reaching for my hand. This time, I was ready for it, and greeted his hand with mine, twining our fingers together. "You have a gift, Kurt."

"And just when I thought my face couldn't get any more red."

"So, if you don't mind me asking," he began, flipping the cover closed on red cover, "What is it about fashion that you love so much?"

"Fashion is a way of expression," I said matter-of-factly, looking away again. "It can make a person blend into the background or stand out in front. It has the power to define a person. I want to create. I want to make someone stand out the way that I can't. Through fashion, I can make someone into anyone they want to be! I can help them be anything."

Blaine stroked the back of my hand with his thumb, making slow, gentle circles. I looked up at him then. His eyes seemed flooded with conflicting emotions; empathy, adoration, sadness, hope, affection. I felt like I was drowning in his gaze, though it was something that I just couldn't get enough of.

"Kurt," he whispered.

"Hmm?" I hummed, content in his company. This was nice, just the two of us. Everything out in the open, his hand in mine, our eyes locked and swimming with emotion and unspoken words.

"If it makes you happy, why don't you pursue it?"

I smiled sadly at him, "It's just not in the cards for a wingman like me-"

"A what?"

"-Wingmen don't go off on their own."

"Kurt-"

"No, it's fine, Blaine, don't worry about it."

Blaine's features twisted into sadness again and I felt a pulling in my heart. All I seemed to do was make this boy upset.

"Kurt, just know, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here. I'll always listen to you."

I patted the back of his hand with my free one. "Thank you."

I tilted back the rest of my coffee and smiled the best smile I could. "Come on, the next round is on me."


	4. Chapter 4

In every good show the leading lady has a rival, someone who the audience is drawn to hate, someone the star fights with more than anyone, someone who always creates conflict for our hero.

The Rachel Berry show was no exception to that rule.

Enter Quinn Fabray. Tall, blonde, blue-eyed, effortlessly beautiful, a member of our glee club, and captain of the Cheerios; Quinn was literally everything that Rachel wasn't.

Quinn was one of the few people who broke rank. Back in middle school, Quinn was one of us, small, timid, unpopular, a sidekick. But when high school hit, she broke away from her role and decided to become her own person, her own star. She joined the Cheerios later that year and climbed her way to the top of the social pyramid.

And just as Rachel had Tina and I as her wingmen, Quinn had Santana and Brittany. Santana was a strikingly beautiful Latina girl with long black hair and equally black eyes. If you didn't know any better, you'd think she was one of the devil's little helpers. Brittany was her opposite and also her "secret" girlfriend. Her deep blue eyes were always following Quinn and Santana's every move but she was the epitome of a dumb blonde. The three of them were on the Cheerios together and were commonly known as the Unholy Trinity.

But it wasn't just the fact that Quinn was a threat to Rachel in the choir room that was the problem; it was Finn. Finn and Quinn had dated from our freshman to our sophomore years. But then Rachel came along and stole away Finn and his affections to live happily ever after. However, Quinn wouldn't let that happen. She still believed that she could bring Finn around and have him love her again.

I didn't know what it was with that boy! All the girls seemed to love him, but I didn't get it. Maybe it was because I had to live with him and his awful corn chip smell.

"What? Mr. Schue, you _can't_ be serious!" Quinn argued one afternoon in glee club.

"Quinn, I'm not saying that you're not as talented as Rachel, I'm just saying that her soprano might be better suited for this song than your smooth alto."

A typical afternoon in the New Direction family. Mr. Schuster announced his choice for the Los Angeles Nationals this year; putting Rachel in the lead spot, yet again. Of course, that didn't go over so well with the Unholy Trinity.

"This is rigged, I swear!" Quinn snapped. "Why can't you pick a song that fits anyone's voice other than Rachel's?"

She had a point.

"Quinn, calm down." Tina piped in, going to Rachel's side on instinct.

"You calm down, _Mulan_," Santana bellowed, "or I'll go all Hun invasion on your ass!"

"Hey, watch it, _Satan_!" I added. It may not have been my fight, but it was my job to defend Rachel (and in this case Tina) in an argument.

Santana bristled at the nickname.

"Wait, if Mulan is here, does that mean I get to meet Mushu?" Brittany asked Santana. "Because he needs to teach Lord Tubbington how to breathe fire for my bonfire this weekend."

Sometimes, I wondered if Brittany ever really knew what was going on.

"Quinn, it's not a big deal," Finn said from his seat on the other side of Rachel.

Quinn's eyes went soft when she looked at Finn and she plastered a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, Finn. You're clearly just blinded by the fact that you're dating that _witch_."

"Excuse me, who are _you_ calling a witch, Fabray?" I growled stepping forward.

"Can it, queer!" Santana barked.

"Bite me, Satan!" Oh yeah. I would do anything to defend my leading lady. Silently, in the back of my mind, I felt as though Blaine would have disapproved of my putting everything on the line for Rachel yet again. But, it's my job as supporting character, so I pushed the thought away.

"Rachel is a witch? Can she help me with my Time Turner then?" Brittany gawked, as she played with the necklace in question. "It hasn't been working for some reason."

"Britt, that's just a clock necklace," Santana said, patting her hand.

"No, it's a Time Turner, Tana! How else did Lord Tubbington get here? He's from the future."

"Britt, no…"

"You just can't accept the fact that Finn chose me over you," Rachel grumbled.

Quinn's gaze changed from adoring to deadly in a second. She glared at Rachel with daggers in her eyes. "And you can't accept the fact that I'm better than you! You keep yourself in the lead because you don't want everyone to see that I'm better!"

"Girls, girls! Please!" Mr. Schue finally interjected. "Quinn, I'm sorry, but my word is final. Unless Rachel resigns from her position and gives it so someone else-"

"Which will never happen," Santana said under her breath.

"-then there is nothing to discuss."

"Can you _believe_ her?" Rachel scoffed the next day, leaning against a row of lockers.

I was kneeling down, looking into the mirror as I engulfed my head in a layer of hairspray. Clicking the top back on, I shook my head sympathetically.

"No, I can't," I said standing. "Quinn was completely out of line, as usual."

"I just can't understand why she hates me so much. It's not like I _made_ Finn fall in love with me and I can't help it if I'm more talented than her."

"It's not your fault, Rachel."

Even though it totally was.

"Kurt!" My eyes widened as I turned quickly to find Blaine jogging up to us. His curly dark hair bounced along with him and it made my heart flutter with each movement. Blaine looked into my still open locker with a smile. "I see the mall is still open."

I blushed, shutting the door with my foot.

"Kurt?" Rachel said annoyed, "Who is this?"

"Oh, Rachel I'm sorry! Rachel this is-"

"The name's Blaine, Blaine Anderson, aka Kurt's faithful and infatuated shadow."

I blushed again.

"My name is Rachel Berry, future Broadway star. I love your shirt, Blaine, wherever did you get it?"

Oh no. There it was. Rachel was putting the moves on Blaine, but not in the cheating-on-Finn sort of way. She would never. She was too deeply in love with the big lug. No, Rachel was doing something entirely different. She was using her charm to win over Blaine and secure him in her impressive line of worshipers. It wasn't fair; Blaine didn't stand a chance against her charms. I just wish I could have had him, even as just a friend of my own-

"Hey Kurt," Blaine chimed, pulling me out of my misery. "Thank you so much for letting me borrow _Wuthering Heights_." He turned to face only me, blocking Rachel. She scoffed in outrage. Blaine pulled the book in question out of his bag. "I can finally cross that off my list."

"You finished it already?" I gawked.

"What can I say? I'm a fast reader."

"I'm impressed, Mr. Anderson. In that case, I can give you _Moby Dick _tomorrow if you like."

"That sounds like a euphemism for something," Blaine winked.

I could feel my eyes widen at the comment and my cheeks burn.

Rachel beside me gasped audibly.

"Kidding!" He laughed, "I'm kidding. I would love to have your dick."

"Blaine!"

Blaine clutched his stomach in laughter. "Kidding! Man, Kurt you have got to lighten up. But I've got to leave for now. I've got, uh, something to, uh, do. I'll see you later, alright?"

With that, Blaine clapped me affectionately on my shoulder and raced down the hall.

"That was weird," I said to myself as I watched him go.

"Who was that, Kurt?" Rachel squawked.

"Oh, no one," I sighed.

"That was not "no one". Did you see the way he looked at you? Did you _hear_ the way he _spoke_ to you?"

"Not really," I lied.

"Don't think I haven't noticed, Kurt. Unless they're throwing slushies, people tend to look right past you."

Maybe it's because I'm always next to you, you self-centered brat. But of course I didn't say that. Instead I said, "It's just because my star doesn't shine quite as bright as yours."

"But him, that guy, he didn't," she said, as she narrowed her eye in the direction Blaine had disappeared.

"Rachel, you're not making sense."

"That guy. He _only_ noticed you. It was like you were the only person here."

I tried my best to hide my blush as I scoffed at her. "Oh please, Rachel, your drama queen is showing."

"Really! Have you hung out much?"

"Not really-"

"Do you like him?"

"Wha- no! Rachel, I've only known him for a couple of weeks!"

"And you haven't introduced me yet."

"Well I did just now."

"All the more reason to get to know him better," she smiled.

Wait, was Rachel giving me permission to spend more time with Blaine? "Rachel,"

"Look, Kurt, I'm just saying, that boy looks at you like you're some kind of precious gem he covets or something. Just keep that in consideration."

She turned on her heel and made her way toward her next class, leaving me with that load to deal with. What in the world had she meant just now?

The bell overhead rung loudly, breaking my thoughts. I rushed down the opposite way, hoping I wouldn't be too late for class.

That afternoon I waltzed into glee club with my usual amount of grace and flair, which is to say, I tripped on my designer shoes upon entering the room.

I took my place next to Rachel who was caught up in playing with Finn's hair. Finn smirked at her attempt to tame his uncooperative locks.

Tina sat down behind me with a grin, which I returned kindly. Mike wasn't here today so I had her all to myself.

"How is your _Romeo and Juliet_ project coming?" she asked me.

"Fine, I guess. Both Blaine and I have already read it, so the work isn't hard at all."

"Lucky! Danny and McKenzie have no idea what they are doing. It's like they've never read a book before!"

I had to laugh at that. But my mind started to drift elsewhere. At the mention of Blaine, my thoughts clung to the conversation with Rachel earlier that day and her strong reaction to him. Was it such a bad thing that Blaine wanted to spend time with me? I didn't think so. I actually really liked the idea.

Just then, the sound of footsteps caught my ear and though I don't know what possessed me to look up, I did.

That's when Blaine walked in, into our choir room. He stood next to Mr. Schue with a huge smile on his face, seemingly pleased about something.

As I stared at him I was sure my eyes were the size of hula-hoops plastered on my face. I could feel my jaw slightly slack jawed, but I couldn't stop. Tina giggled from behind to me.

On cue, Mr. Schue clapped his hands to get our attention.

No. No, I would not pay attention to him, no. I couldn't stop staring at _Blaine_.

"Okay, everyone," Mr. Schue started, "I'd like to introduce our newest member, Mr. Blaine Anderson!"

The New Directions clapped politely for him, but I couldn't. It was as if someone had tied weights to my arms. I couldn't move or look away.

"I hope that Blaine will be a great contributing factor to winning Nationals in LA in a few months!" Mr. Schue finished.

"And by contributing factor, you mean harmonizing in the back while I sing lead," Rachel grumbled. It was clear that Rachel didn't seem to like Blaine.

I could slap her, I really could, for how rude she was being to him.

"I'm so glad to be here, guys. We're going to wipe the floor with the competition!" Blaine exclaimed.

I could kiss him for how sweet and unaffected he was by any of it.

"He looks like one of those guys from Narnia," Brittany said to Santana.

"Who?" Her girlfriend responded.

"You know, the little people from Narnia. The Hobbits!"

"Britt, no," Artie sighed. "That's Lord of the Rings."

"The Hobbit is a lord? Like Lord Tubbington?"

"No, like the movie, Lord of the Rings," he tried to explain.

"Is that a wedding show?"

Blaine took a seat in the chair on the other side of me, the side unoccupied by Rachel. How had that worked out? How was there an empty seat next to me today of all days? How did I get so lucky?

Oh, he was looking at me.

"You joined glee?" I asked, still in shock, my eyes growing only wider. "Why?"

"You said you would give anything to have a solo," Blaine whispered into my ear. "I'm here to make that happen."

"Wait a minute," Quinn piped in. "Did I just hear you Rachel say that we're going to sway in the background while she steals the spot light, again?"

"Here we go," I said under my breath.

"Huh?" Blaine asked.

"It's only right," Rachel said confidently.

"There is nothing right about that!" Quinn snapped.

And it was on. The battle between the two leading ladies had begun, well, I guess continued. It never actually ended between those two. Quinn fought tooth and nail against Rachel, again as Brittany and Santana backed her up. Rachel, once again playing the victim, had Tina and I on her side. It was only natural for us to jump to her aid when she called for it.

But one thing that didn't escape my notice during the line of fire and insults, was Blaine. He sat back quietly, watching the whole thing unfold, and what did he watch most, but of course, me. Every snap I made, every retort I called, Blaine was there, watching me like a hawk. I didn't understand it and I wouldn't, until later.


	5. Chapter 5

From that day on, Blaine and I spent a lot more time together. Most mornings before school, he and I would meet at the Lima Bean for morning coffees and the occasional muffin when Blaine could actually convince me to eat one of those delicious calorie factories. On the weekends, we spent half our time at the library picking out books and the other half lounging in the park next to the lake, reading our books or reading to each other.

It was all very relaxing. Sitting in the shade of an overgrown oak tree, listening to Blaine tell me about the misadventures of Helena and Lysander in the realm of fairies or the how Dr. Frankenstein created his monster.

A few times in those weeks, Blaine would come over to my house. My dad and Carole were very nice to him (upon my begging for them to behave). My dad was very accepting of him for the get go, which I would never really admit to, but it made me so happy that my dad liked him. Carole was always happy to see Blaine too and would cook up grand meals for us when he visited. And when he or my dad weren't looking, Carole would flash me a knowing smile. I would blush to my roots because Carole knew. Of course Carole knew, we had been talking about boys together since I was sixteen, so of course she knew when I had a crush on someone. Maybe even before I could admit it to myself.

When dinner and polite conversation were over, Blaine and I would watch movies in my room (with the door open, by persistence of my father) or just sit around and talk. And that was nice. It was different because I was so used to just listening to what Rachel had to say. But Blaine was so interested in _my_ life and what had happened to _me_ as a child and what _my_ mom was like and what fashion designs _I_ had come up with that week. It was all so surreal.

And he told me about his childhood and his little brother and his friends from home and I was just so interested in him and his life that all I could do was hope for more.

We would practice for Nationals together too. But Blaine always, no matter how much I resisted, took the harmony and I always took the melody. We would sing to each other all the time, enjoying each other's voices. And boy could Blaine sing. Even if he was just taking the backing vocals, I couldn't help the shivers I got every time that boy opened his mouth.

Was this what it felt like to be a Leading Lady?

This, of course, was not without interruption from Rachel. If she texted me or called me or asked me to do something with her, I would oblige. It was my job as a wingman, after all. But this didn't sit well with Blaine. And it wasn't even my leaving him or canceling our plans that seemed to bother him, it was that I was doing these things because of _Rachel_. I didn't understand what his problem with her was.

About two and a half months into Blaine's transfer, I was standing at my locker, trying to pick out an appropriate cardigan for Rachel to wear over her blue dress.

"Honestly, Rachel, who told you that bright orange would look good with that dress?"

"Did Quinn pull a prank on you?" Tina asked from the other side of me.

Sometimes Rachel's fashion sense physically pained me when I saw how little she knew about even the most basic fashion trends.

"I saw it in a magazine on _your_ coffee table, Kurt!" she pouted.

"Yeah, honey, I think that was probably a College Sports magazine," I said, taking my head out of my locker to look at her.

"So?"

"Honey, that's one of Finn's. You were probably looking at a Syracuse Basketball uniform or something."

"Yeah? And? If Finn likes it, then I don't see the problem."

"Finn likes the sport or the team," Tina chimed in, "Not the colors. He doesn't have a choice in that."

I looked up at Tina with a smile. What would I do without her?

"I guess that makes sense," Rachel mused.

"Ah-ha! Here we go!" I exclaimed. From the back rack of my locker, I pulled out a light yellow, half sleeve cardigan. "_This_ will complement your dress perfectly, Miss Berry."

She took it from me with a smile, sliding out of the orange monstrosity and into the new sweater. Tina took her sweater from her and gave it to me. I made a mental note to torch the thing later.

"Ah! Much better, you look wonderful!" Tina grinned at her Leading Lady. Rachel did a spin for her, making the skirt flair.

"Tina!"

The three of us turned to see Mike Chang making his way down the hallway with a grin. Tina grinned from ear to ear as Mike leaned down to kiss her in greeting. She turned to Rachel with a questioning eye.

"You go ahead, Tina. I'll meet up with you at lunch," Rachel said.

With Rachel's blessing, Tina and Mike headed to class together.

As I watched them, I couldn't help but be a bit jealous. Tina and Mike were perfect together and were head over heels in love. I wished I could have had something like that. And not just with anyone.

With Blaine.

"Hey, Kurt! Guess who?" called a voice. I knew who it was but I turned anyway.

Nicky stood behind me with his equally giant friend, Kieran. Both of them held a slushie in each hand.

I put on the bravest face I could. I knew what was coming. "Hello, boys."

"So the last time we slushied you, Hummel, we got reamed out by your hag's boyfriend," Nicky started.

"Finn talked to you about slushie-ing me?" I couldn't believe it. Finn had actually come to my rescue? Finn had actually cared about me and-

"No. Berry got in the line of fire last time."

Nope. He only cared about Rachel. My mistake.

"And he told us to make sure we never slushied his girlfriend again," Kieran added.

"But he didn't say anything about me," I finished for them.

"Hey, Hummel, your reputation stands. You _are_ a pretty smart kid," Nicky sneered. "Now, so we up hold our end of the deal. We're going to make sure none of this ends up on Berry."

Kieran and Nicky then reached their arms up above me and dumped their frozen death drinks straight on top of my head. They were right about one thing, by dumping it directly on me, they didn't get any on Rachel who stood by watching this all happen.

I began to shiver; four direct slushies to the head is much worse than one quick one to the face or chest. This way, they sunk in more.

"How's that feel, Hummel?" Nicky asked, pleased with himself. Kieran high fived him in triumph.

"Aw, man!" I said through chattering teeth. "Maris! Cherry again? You've got to switch up your game! Maybe go with blue raspberry next time? It would match my eyes better."

Maris huffed out and angry breath. Clearly he was less than pleased with my reaction. "Fuck you, Hummel," he barked, turning on his heel and heading down the hallway.

"Rain check!" I called after him. "But thanks for the offer!"

"Kurt," Rachel started, only now just starting to approach me.

"Rachel!" Ah, and there was Finn, the brave knight come to his damsel in distress. He ran right past me and straight to his girlfriend, taking her small shoulders in his massive hands, checking her over. "Rachel, are you alright?"

"I- I think so," she mumbled. "I was so scared."

She hugged her boyfriend tightly, putting on the theatrics for all to see.

With a sigh, I tried to pick the slushie out of my hair but two things kept me from doing so. First, there was no way you could pick out that much frozen sugar, I would have to wash my hair. And second? I was shivering so hard at this point that I couldn't even raise my arms up to my head. My eyes were mostly closed due to the sugar dripping into my eyes. It had never been this bad before; it was like the ultimate brain freeze. I started to slouch against the lockers, sliding down into a fetal position.

If I lock in my heat, I can warm up, right? No, no that's not right.

Maybe my frozen state was messing with my logical thinking.

"Kurt? Oh my god, Kurt!" The voice of an angel called because that's what it was, wasn't it? The voice of an angel. "Kurt, what- what happened? Kurt!"

The angel knelt down and took me by the shoulders not worrying about getting the red ice on their hands. But why? Why would the angel do that? Maybe it was to stop my violent shaking, though it did little to help. But why? No one ever helped me in these situations. I guess that's what angels are for, helping you when no one else will.

"Kurt, look at me. Look at me."

And I did. Those warm golden eyes, that tanned skin, that adorable curly hair, that bright light surrounding him. That was no angel; that was Blaine. But maybe Blaine was an angel. That would explain a lot.

Yup, the slushie was definitely affecting my thoughts.

"What the _fuck_ happened?" Blaine snapped. Well that rules out the angel idea; angels don't swear, right?

"He got slushied," Rachel said. "Nicky Maris and Kieran Campbell did it. They poured it on his head and left. That's when Finn came to my aid."

"_Your_ aid?"

"Yeah?"

"You look untouched," Blaine said, his eyes narrowing.

"Well she was scared!" Finn piped in, "And she's my girlfriend, I have to protect her."

"Kurt's you _brother_!" Blaine spat. "Look at him! You should care about him and his well-being! Not just brush past him and rush to someone who is perfectly fine!"

"But-" Finn stuttered.

"I'm disappointed in you, Finn. I would expect this from Rachel-"

"Hey!"

"-Even though you're not related biologically, blood is thicker than water." Blaine took off his jacket and placed it on my shoulders. "Come on, Kurt, I'll help clean and warm you up."

With that, Blaine pulled me to my feet and into the nearest bathroom, leaving my ever clueless and currently very confused stepbrother behind.

He sat me down on one of the sinks, running hot water in another and then moved out of my sight. I was so confused, the cold messing with my ability to think. Blaine returned with paper towels, running them under the sink and pressing them to my face. With his other hand he extracted the drying red sugar and dye out of my hair. When almost all of it was gone, Blaine moved me beneath the hand-dryer and turned it on. I felt an instant difference. The hot air rushed around me like a warm cocoon.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt. This shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry, I should have been there," Blaine said, returning with more paper towels to wipe me down. I looked at him with hooded eyes but did not say a word. His face was flushed deep pink as he dabbed at my chest. Why was he helping me? Overhead I heard the bell ring for the next period. Blaine laughed dryly, "I guess we're going to be late to our next classes, huh?"

I nodded.

In all honesty, I was feeling much better having the hand-dryer on me and the slushie out of my face.

"Thank you," I all but whispered.

He smiled at me with one of those smiles that made my heart hurt. "You're welcome."

He pulled me to my feet but didn't let go when we stood up. I looked at the hands between us. His strong tanned hands holding mine; pale and thin. I knew I was blushing, but in that moment, I couldn't care less. He didn't say my name to get my attention and I didn't say his; we just stood in silence. When I finally looked up, he was staring right into my eyes.

Blaine was so good to me and I still couldn't figure out why. What had I done to deserve someone like Blaine? Despite everything I had been made to believe, he made me feel like I could accomplish anything.

"Blaine-"

"Do you want to meet my family?" he blurted out.

My eyes widened slightly. Well this was new.

"Your family?"

"Yeah, I- my mom and I were talking the other day at dinner and she mentioned that I had been at this school for almost three months now and we've been friends all this time and she's never met you. Then my dad said that he wanted to meet this "elusive Kurt Hummel" that I was always talking about."

Blaine was always talking about me?

"But you don't have to, if you don't want to!" he said in a hurry. "I just thought maybe you would want to come to my house for dinner or something and then I could show you my room and maybe we could watch something on Netflix or whatever. But you don't have to! You don't have to feel pressured to-"

"Blaine!" I finally said, squeezing his hands. He looked down at our hands then back up at me, a blush high in his cheeks. "I would love to meet your family."

"You would?" he squeaked. He actually squeaked with excitement. This boy was too much.

"Of course I would. Why wouldn't I want to meet the people who raised you?"

"Oh, Kurt, this is fantastic! I'll have to call my mom right a-" He stopped dead.

"Blaine?"

"We're late for class!"

"Shit!" I said, scrambling to clean up our mess.

"Wait, wait, what about your clothes?" Blaine asked, as he threw away a pile of paper towels.

"Blaine, I've got a whole department store in my locker. Once we finish up here, you head off to your class and I'll change."

"Right, right, okay," he agreed, spinning around in circles. I had to admit, I liked frazzled Blaine. "I'll talk to you later then, yeah?"

"Yes. Call me when you have plans about dinner with your family?"

"Yes! Yes, definitely. I'll see you later."


	6. Chapter 6

Blaine called me that afternoon.

I was lying on my stomach in bed with my feet up in the air, trying my damnedest to figure out the problem on my calculus homework. I was an English and History student, not Math and Science.

My cell phone went off playing "Teenage Dream". That could have only been the one person. The one person who I was positive I had made up in a dream, my teenage dream.

"Hello?"

"Kurt! Hey! How's it going?"

"Ugh, how the hell do you solve a nonlinear ordinary differential equation?" I groaned. "How did I ever convince myself to take Advanced College Calculus? What was I thinking? Was I _trying_ to kill myself?"

He laughed into the phone, sending my stomach into a frenzy. Why did he do that to me? It wasn't fair, the effect he had on me. I turned into a puddle of goo just about every time that boy opened his mouth. And my _god_, his mouth-

"Oooh, differentials? Those are a bitch. Do you have Mrs. Holmes?" Blaine asked, pulling me out of my fantasies.

"Huh?"

"Your teacher?"

"Oh, oh yeah, I have Holmes. The worst part is that she just _expects_ you to know the material! She hardly teaches."

"That's how she is in my class too. I could help you out sometime if you wanted?" he offered.

"You're good at Calc?"

"Well, yeah. My dad works for the government as an engineer so I've been around this stuff my whole life."

"So you're good at math, you like to read, and you can sing."

"Uh, I guess so."

"God, you're so perfect," I blurted. As soon as it came out of my mouth, I clapped a hand over my mouth. "Oh god."

Blaine laughed again, twisting my stomach into knots. Damn him. I'm sure he could feel my blush through the phone.

"Well, that aside, I talked to my mom and she said that she could do Friday evening. We usually eat around five or six, so you could just come over after glee. Does that work with you?"

"Sure, that's fine. It gives me just enough time to pick out an outfit."

"An outfit? Kurt, it's just my house."

"I know, but I want to make a good impression."

"Kurt, they'll love you because I do."

My eyes widened to their maximum capacity. I felt like my heart would shoot out of my chest and my stomach would fall out my butt. What? Blaine- No. I had to calm down. Friends say they love each other all the time. This was no big deal I was over reacting.

"Kurt?"

"What?"

"Are you alright? That's the second time you've spaced out."

"Sorry, it's this, uh, math homework. What were you saying?"

"I asked what you'd like for dinner?"

"Oh! I uh, I don't know. Anything will work. You don't need to fuss over me."

"Okay, I'll tell my mom. She's a really good cook, Kurt. You'll like her food."

"I'm sure I will. But Blaine, as much as I love this conversation, I really should get to this homework."

"Alright," I could hear the slight disappointment in his voice. "Have fun with your math homework. I wish I was there."

"What? Why? It's _math homework_!"

"Because if I was there, I would be your derivative so I could lie tangent to your curves."

"Oh my god, Blaine. Did- did you just make a math joke?"

"A math pick-up line, actually."

I started laughing then. "Blaine!"

"Did it work?" I could practically hear the wiggle of his eyebrows.

My laughter died down as the blush crept up into my cheeks. "That remains to be seen, doesn't it?" I wasn't very good at this flirting thing, but I could try.

"Oooh! Mr. Hummel, you are a tease!"

I blushed even deeper. "I-I've got a lot more of this homework due tomorrow, so I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Another tease, but yes. You'll see me every day if you'll let me."

"_Blaine_."

"Right, right, sorry, homework. Good night, Mr. Hummel."

"Good night, Mr. Anderson."

The next two days after glee had me pretty busy with Rachel and her ongoing battle of choosing solos for Nationals. I had to admit, I was getting tired of her being so self-absorbed.

"I'm trying to decide if I want to go with a show stopping ballad or a fun upbeat number for my first song. Why do you guys think?"

"I think you should do a fun upbeat number, Rachel," Tina said kindly. "It would be a good way to start the show."

"You have a good point. Kurt? What do you think?"

_I think you should give someone else a chance to shine. I think you're being selfish. I think I could do a better job than you. _

Of course I couldn't say that.

"I disagree. I think you should go with the ballad," I said flatly. "It gives a variety of songs for the group and it's the perfect way to show off your emotion when you sing. You're at your best when you sing an emotional ballad."

"Well, I do almost cry every time I sing one. I agree with Kurt. What would I do without you?" she smirked.

"You'd still be wearing that blue pantsuit you walked in with this morning. Honestly, Rachel, are you trying to make my job hard?"

Rachel hit me on the shoulder. "I've got to get to work on this right away. Kurt, Tina, I'll see you at my house tonight? We have to find the perfect song for me."

"Yeah, I'll be there," Tina said.

"Actually, Rachel, I can't come tonight."

"What? Why not?"

"I have dinner with family," I blushed.

"Well, can't you get out of it?" she scoffed. "I mean, it's_ me_. I think your dad and Carole will understand."

"Well, no. It's not with _my_ family. I'm having dinner at Blaine's tonight."

That's when Rachel's face dropped. You see, when Rachel got mad, she had a tendency to be scary and say things she wouldn't normally say. Her jaw would set as her lips pursed into a tiny, threatening frown. Her eyes became large and hateful and sometimes, her nose would flair. And at that moment, that was the exact look she was giving me.

"What?" she snapped.

Tina looked between us and backed away, out of the line of fire.

"I'm sorry, Rachel." No I wasn't. "But Blaine asked me to meet his family and I-"

"Are you secretly dating him or something?" she accused.

"What? No! Of course not! How could I do that? I'd have to get him cleared through you first. It's a part of the girl code." When had my life turned into _Mean Girls_?

"Then why are you spending so much time with him, Kurt? Don't think I haven't noticed. You're always with him. You're _my_ best friend, Kurt. Not his. Mine! _I_ have first priority."

Even though she was at least a foot shorter than me, I felt about three feet tall. I knew in the back of my mind that it wasn't right for her to control me like that, but I didn't say anything to defend myself. Except-

"I'm sorry, Rachel. I made a promise to a friend and I won't break it for you."

Rachel was fuming. She looked up into my eyes with fury but I stood my ground, looking back at her with the purest face I could manage under her scrutinizing gaze.

"Fine. Go have you damned dinner. I don't need you there anyway. But I swear to god, Kurt, you need to remember where your loyalties lie. You're mine, remember that. Tina, I'll see you at seven." Rachel turned on _my_ navy blue Prada heels and stormed down the hallway.

Tina and I watched her go in silence until I mumbled, "I'm not yours. I'm my own person." Even when I knew that was only half true. Sure, I was me, but Rachel controlled my life whether I liked it or not.

"I'm happy for you, you know," Tina said at my side.

I turned to look at her for the first time since Rachel started her tantrum. Tina was looking at me with this look in her eye, like admiration and happiness.

"What do you mean?" I asked, dropping down to my locker to pick out an outfit for tonight's dinner. I figured a tan vest and white short sleeved shirt would work with a pair of dark wash jeans.

"You and Blaine."

I froze, pulling out a matching polka dotted bowtie. "What?"

I stood up, trying to seem nonchalant.

"I can see that you like him, Kurt. The way you two talk, the way you look at him, all the time you're spending together when you're not tethered to Rachel, I can tell."

"Tina I-"

"And judging by the fact that he never takes his eyes off you, I'd say he likes you too." I blushed to my roots. "And what's not to like? You're smart and sweet and attractive. You're a catch, Kurt. Don't let someone like Rachel Berry ruin a chance like this for you. You might be her best friend, but you have the potential to be more than that with someone who seems to like you just as much, if not more than you even know."

I couldn't say a thing. She was right. Sure, I had obligations to Rachel, but that didn't mean I had to sacrifice something that could be good for me. Tina really was too nice for her own good.

"Tina," I choked, pulling her in for a tight hug. "Thank you."

"I'll calm Rachel down tonight and it will be as if nothing ever happened between you two." She held me at arm's length, her beautiful almond eyes looking up into mine, "Be careful with her for now, okay? I'll help you in any way I can."

I nodded quickly. Tina released me with a smile, shoving me toward the bathroom with a pat on the ass. "Now go get changed and go gettum', tiger."

I met Blaine in the parking lot after changing into my new outfit. I thought his eyes were going to fall out of his head as he raked them up and down my frame. I guess it paid to have an eye for fashion.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," I called as I approached him. "I had to-"

"You weren't wearing that before."

"Huh?"

"In English. You weren't wearing that." He swallowed hard.

"Oh, yeah, I changed for dinner. I hope that's alright?"

"Oh it's more than alright, but I think I'm going to have a hard time focusing on anything my parents put in front of me. Or say. Or anything other than you."

My eyes widened as I tried to hide my blush. Was Blaine hitting on me?

"Oh, uh, thank you. I think. So I'll follow you to your house then?" I said gesturing to my car and changing the subject quickly.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. It might be bad to have you in the car when you're dressed like that anyway. Eyes gotta stay on the road."

"_Blaine_."

"Sorry, sorry. Just follow me. It's not too far from here."

Why did he have to say things like that? I asked myself as I started the car and tried to calm down. I couldn't go into his house to meet his parents with a, uh, problem going on.

On the drive over, I fixed my situation as best I could. Blaine was right; he did live relatively close to the school.

I parked behind his car in the driveway that held two more expensive looking cars. The driveway ended at a detached garage, diagonal to the house.

Blaine's house wasn't a mansion, exactly, but it was easily twice the size of our small house. It was a white clapboard colonial style house with black shutters and a matching roof. The front door had a small porch with pillars on either side. Below the large front windows were well cared for hedges, perfectly square just like the house.

"Blaine, your house is amazing," I gawked.

"Naw, not really," he smiled. "It's a regular home, really."

We walked through the front door and I'm sure my eyes were bugging out of my head. "Uh, Blaine, no it's not."

Maybe it was the open floor plan, the grand staircase that lead to a balcony on the second floor, or the wall of windows that covered the south wall of the house, but to me, the Anderson household seemed anything but "regular". I stood dumbfounded in the foyer, taking it all in.

Blaine looked at me with a smile. "Come on, I'll introduce you to my mom," he said, taking me by the hand.

"Blaine!" called a voice from the balcony. My eyes darted up to see a small boy in a black polo shirt and grey plaid pants, leaning over the railing. His dark hair was just a shade lighter than Blaine's. The boy bounded down the stairs, jumping the last few, and came to a stop in front of Blaine. Blaine wrapped him up in a big hug, pulling him off his feet and into his arms.

"Hey, Mattie." Blaine said with a squeeze. Mattie squeaked with joy, wriggling to get free. Blaine put him back on his feet.

That's when Mattie looked at me for the first time, his gaze hardened.

"Who is this?" Mattie asked.

"Mattie, I want you to meet Kurt," he said, wrapping an arm around my waist. My eyes widened in surprise. "Kurt, this is my little brother Mattie."

"Pleased to meet you, Mattie," I said kindly.

Mattie just grunted, eyeing me up and down. Blaine bopped him on the head playfully. "Be nice. Kurt means a lot to me. Now, where's mom?"

"She's in the kitchen. She's been cooking for _hours_," he groaned.

Blaine turned to me again. "Come on, come meet my mom."

The three of us walked beneath the staircase and into an open living room with a massive television and big leather couches. To the right was the kitchen, where a short woman with long dark hair stood in front of the sink, her back turned to us. I could see from where I was that she was dressed in a nice blouse and skirt combo. She turned from her work to look over her shoulder at us. Her eyes were striking; golden brown with a twinkle right in the corner. Just like Blaine's.

"Blaine," she said with a smile. Wiping her hands on her white apron, she opened her arms. Blaine met her, giving her a hug. "Hello, dear."

"Hey, mom."

"And you must be Kurt."

"Yes, it's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Anderson."

"Oh, my pleasure is all mine, dear. Welcome to our home. Make yourself comfortable."

"It smells great in here, mom! What's on the menu?" Blaine asked, picking the top off of a pot on the stove.

His mother swatted his hand away, making him drop the top back into place, "No peeking, you'll ruin the broccoli by letting the steam out!" She stirred another pot with a wooden spoon then spun around, checking whatever was in the oven. Blaine was right; it did smell incredible in there. "I'm making Chicken Orecchiette with broccoli, stewed tomatoes, and Portobello mushrooms and a side salad. And for desert we have apple pie that should be done any minute now. Is that alright with you, Kurt?"

"Oh yes!" I answered quickly. I was _so_ not used to all this attention, "It sounds delicious. Thank you so much, you didn't have to do all this."

"Oh please, let me. It's nice to entertain one of Blaine's guests for a change."

"Mom," Mattie whined, pulling on his mother's skirt. "That doesn't sound good to me."

"What doesn't, baby?"

"I hate mushrooms," he pouted. "Can't we have Chinese instead?"

"Well, Matheus, maybe if you help me finish this, we might be able to keep the mushrooms out of yours. How's that sound?"

Mattie's eyes lit up. He nodded quickly, pulling over a chair so he could reach the stove properly.

Blaine secretly took my hand in his. "I want to show you something," he whispered in my ear. I nodded, slipping out of the kitchen and out the large sliding glass door by the living room. Their backyard was just as impressive as the inside of the house. Several gardens were placed throughout the yard with a stone path that led around the area. At our feet was a stone patio with patio furniture on the side, surrounding a wood-burning stove.

I looked at Blaine who was, of course, staring right back at me. His golden eyes sparkled with some emotion I couldn't place. God, he was beautiful. If only I had the guts to tell him-

"Courage!"

"What?" I blushed. Was he reading my mind now?

"No, Courage, my dog!" Over on one of the couches was an old Border Collie, slumped into the cushions. We walked over to him and he lifted his head slightly, wagging his tail at the sight of Blaine. "Hey, boy! I've got someone I want you to meet."

I came up on cue, reaching my hand out to him. Courage sniffed my hand for a moment and then licked it lightly.

"Wow, he likes you. Even in his old age, Courage doesn't like new people."

"Well, Courage is an excellent judge of character," I said turning to look up at Blaine as I pet the dog. He beamed at me.

Blaine pulled on my hand, pulling me toward the gardens, Courage wobbling behind us.

The beds were full of beautiful, exotic flowers. They were all so wonderful.

"Kurt? Kurt, what's wrong?" Blaine asked, stopping us near the back of the gardens. I looked at him confused for a moment. What did he mean? That's when he reached up and wiped the tear off my cheek.

"It's nothing."

"Kurt," he pleaded.

"It's just, these gardens are so beautiful, well cared for and thriving. It reminds me of my mom. She loved gardening and always had luscious flowers growing. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Carole, but she doesn't have the green thumb my mother did."

"I'm sorry, if this is upsetting for you we can-"

"Blaine, no. This is a happy memory. I- this might sound dumb, but I feel like she's here with us somehow. Watching over us."

Blaine took both my hands in his, looking me right in the eye with that conflicted expression again. "And what does she see?" he asked.

"Something magical; her son happy," I said with a shy smile.

And then Blaine's gaze flickered to my lips and lingered there. I felt my face heat up at what that could possibly mean. His hands trailed slowly up and down my arms, earning a shiver from me. He looked up at me then with the sweetest look in his eyes; I could have kissed him right then and there. My mind was spinning, the attention overwhelming. But the way Blaine was looking at me in that moment, I felt like I belonged as a Leading Lad for the first time.

"Kurt," he whispered, leaning in closer.

"Rrouf!"

We turned away from each other to find Courage waiting next to white bench beneath an enormous willow tree in the corner of the yard. Blaine turned back to me for a moment and knit his brow, as if confused as to what was happening, and I felt my heart sink a little. I didn't like that face.

"Come on," he said, shaking his head a little. "This is what I wanted to show you."

I followed him to where Courage was waiting. As we walked through the boughs, I felt very comfortable in its shadow. It was like sitting in a sunny green room of my own.

"It's beautiful in here," I breathed.

"This, um," he stumbled, petting Courage's head as a distraction. "This is my favorite reading spot. Well, my favorite when I'm not with you at the park or something. But it's so quiet back here. I can read out here for hours without a care."

"I can see why. It's beautiful."

"Yeah, it is," Blaine said, not even bothering to look at the tree, but rather keeping his gaze on me. I looked at him again, giving him a soft smile. I could see him blush underneath the branches.

"So, uh, how old is Mattie?" I asked, changing subjects.

"He's nine. He'll be turning ten in a few weeks."

"He seems short for his age. I don't mean it as a bad thing, he just, does."

"Did you look at my mother? Have you seen me? It kinda runs in our family. But we think he's going to take after our dad and sprout up when he's a teenager."

"Hmm, something tells me you didn't get that benefit," I laughed.

He jabbed me in the side, making me squeak. Blaine looked from his hand to my side and then back again, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Ticklish, are we?"

My eyes widened in horror. "Blaine Anderson, don't you _dare_."

He started to wince, holding his wrist with his other hand. "I'm-I'm sorry, Kurt, I have lost control!"

Courage jumped up from his spot, and started to bark at Blaine.

"Blaine, no!" I warned, scooching away from him.

"I-I can't hold back much longer! Kurt- Kurt help! My hand has a mind of its own!"

And then he attacked me, wiggling and digging his fingers into my sides.

"_Blaine_!" I shrieked, before collapsing into a giggling fit. I tried to get away from him, ending up falling off the bench entirely. Blaine followed, taking the opportunity to pin me down, one leg on either side of my waist. Courage took off running toward the house.

Traitor.

I hadn't been tickled since I was a kid, since my mother was alive. When I was young, my mom and dad would come into my room to read me to sleep but sometimes, I wouldn't get tired. So they would tickle me, tiring me out. Though I was begging him to stop, it was a warm, nostalgic feeling.

He continued his assault, making tears stream down my face. "B-B-Blaine! P-p-please! I can't, I can't breathe!"

"Yeah, Blaine! Give 'im a break!"

Blaine's fingers stilled at my sides instantly. I looked up above me to find Mattie standing on an old wooden swing attached to a branch, not far from us.

"Mattie!" Blaine moaned, standing up quickly. He held out his hand for me. I took it, pulling me upward. "Get out of here!"

"Mom says that dinner is ready," he smiled, jumping off the swing. I looked at the ground, too embarrassed to look at him for some reason. As he passed by, Mattie hip-checked me, sending me into Blaine. My hands landed on his chest as he caught me around the waist. I looked into his eyes and I could have sworn I saw him blush to his roots. "Come on you two, dinner is getting cold!" Mattie giggled, heading for the house.

Blaine leaned his head on my shoulder for a moment but I was too frozen to move.

"If you'll excuse me," he said with one final look.

He let go of me, turning toward the house. He crouched low and took off in a low sprint, heading towards his brother. Mattie caught on too late; Blaine plowed into him, pulling his little brother over his shoulder

"Blaine! Blaine, put me down!" Mattie struggled against him, laughing all the while.

"No way, little brother," Blaine chuckled. "This is your punishment for spying on us!"

I caught up with them, walking beside Blaine. He looked at me from over Mattie's belly; his eyes kind and dark.

"Why don't you just take him out on a real date like a normal human!" Mattie bellowed.

Still gazing at me, Blaine said, "You know, Mattie, that's not a bad idea." Blaine put him down by the sliding door and kneeled down to his eye level. "But as you are well aware I am not a normal human, I am a native of the planet Anderxon and therefore, a real date won't do." He said, eyeing me again. I blushed, looking away. "But I will take your human idea into consideration, young Padawan."

Mattie rolled his eyes and scurried into the house.

"The planet Anderxon?" I smirked.

"Eh, we like to play Star Wars sometimes. Sue me."

My smile grew wider and I gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Never."

Blaine opened the door for me and we walked into the dining room that was just off the kitchen.

Sitting at the head of the table was a large man with a mustache above his lip. His light brown eyes crinkled with a kind smile. He stood, making his way to us. He towered over us with his broad shoulders.

"You must be the ever elusive Kurt," the man said with a deep voice. I felt immediately intimidated by him. This guy wasn't big like with a round belly, he was big, like, muscles and build. It was obvious that this man worked out on a regular basis. He extended a hand to me. "Samuel Anderson."

Even though I was terrified he would break my bony hand in his massive grip, I took it, holding as tightly as I dared.

"Yes, sir. It's very nice to meet you."

"That's a good grip you got there, Kurt," he said with a hairy smile. "That says a lot about a man."

"Thank you, sir."

As Mr. Anderson sat down again he let out a deep, joyful laugh. "Listen to this kid, Katherine." He nudged his wife who had just set the salad on the table. "'Yes, sir', 'Thank you, sir'. I'm not even in uniform! Call me Sam."

"Yes, si-uh, Sam," I said, sitting next to Blaine at the table.

"Can I call you Sam?" Mattie asked from across the table.

"Only if you want to lose a few teeth," his father joked.

"Samuel!" Katherine scolded.

"What?" he laughed.

I couldn't help but laugh too. I looked at Blaine who didn't seem to be paying attention to a single thing his family was saying. He was too absorbed in me to listen. He was openly staring at me. I had to admit, it was nice being the center of attention for once, and boy did Blaine like to make me the center of attention. He gave my knee a reassuring squeeze beneath the table, making my eyes widen. I caught his mother's eye, who smiled at us and suddenly found her salad extremely interesting.

The rest of dinner was really nice. We talked about school and work and Nationals. Blaine's parents and little brother were really wonderful, so accepting and kind-hearted. He was lucky. Sure, my dad and Carole were perfect, but sometimes being around Finn made things awkward. But Mattie, Mattie was awesome. He loved his brother with everything he had. I envied them.

When dinner ended, I offered to help clean up and, after much persisting, I was allowed to dry while Blaine washed.

As I hung up my towel, Blaine turned to me. "Well, the night is still young. Do you want to watch a movie in my room?"

"Sure, that sounds great."

"Yeah, let's go!" Mattie smiled, following us to the bottom of the stairs.

"Matheus, let your brother entertain his guest in peace," Samuel said, heading outside to the patio.

"Aw, but dad, I wanna watch the movie with Kurt!" Mattie begged.

"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?" Blaine said, pouting.

"You smell like it." He retorted.

I snorted at the joke, earning a playful glare from Blaine.

"Mattie, dear, why don't you come with your father and I to the patio?" his mother suggested. "If you're lucky, there might be some fireflies out tonight."

"Fireflies?" he repeated, clearly excited at the idea. "If I catch them, can I keep them?"

His mother laughed, leading him outside. "We'll see."

Blaine and I turned and took a right at the top of the stairs. He led me to the second door on the left, pushing inside.

"Welcome to my little slice of paradise."

I followed him inside, taking in the room. He had a queen-sized bed pushed up against the wall, facing a panel television on a dresser. In the far corner was a desk and chair with a lamp still on. Next to it was a huge bookshelf that reached almost to the ceiling and was full of books of all different shapes, sizes, and colors. I was drawn to the shelves, I couldn't help it. I ran my hand over the spines of the books, reading the various titles. There were so many novels, stories, and tales it was like a dream. My eyes stopped on a picture at about eye level. It was the Anderson family. Mr. Anderson was in full uniform while his wife stood beside him in a lovely red dress and pearls. Mattie stood in the front, being the smallest, in a violet tie and white shirt, a big smile on his face. But my eyes lingered on the final family member in the photo. Blaine stood next to his father in a dark grey tux and a red bowtie. His golden honey eyes were shining with the artificial flash of the camera. He was breathtaking.

"Should I give you and the books some alone time?"

I whirled around to find Blaine watching me from his bed. He had already set up the movie and the title screen was playing on the TV.

"Oh! Geez, I'm sorry. Um, no, I'm fine."

"Kurt. Relax. Just join me and we'll call it even," he smirked.

"Oh, okay."

His request was easier said than done. It would be one thing if we were in public or in his living room or with his parents, but we weren't. We were in his room, alone, with a bed, and nothing but the light of the TV lighting the room. Blaine was stretched out on the bed, leaning up against his pillows, one hand patting the spot next to him.

I swallowed loudly, walking across the room to him. I leaned up against his pillows and sat rigidly with my hands in my lap. To put it bluntly, you could have fitted the whole town of Lima between us. Blaine laughed at me, scooching closer almost instantly.

"I hope you don't mind musicals," Blaine breathed at my ear, putting a hand on my knee.

I shook my head quickly, knowing all too well that if I had spoken, my voice would have been embarrassingly high.

As the movie progressed, Blaine kept his hand on my leg, sending electric shocks through his touch. It felt like that spot was on fire. After a while, I was able to calm down enough to actually watch the movie, joining Blaine in laughter and in singing along to the songs. By the end of the movie, Blaine's head was only a few inches from my shoulder. I kept willing him to lean just a little bit more, to rest his head there, where it felt it belonged.

But when the credits started rolling, Blaine stretched his arms above his head with a satisfied yawn.

"I never get tired of that movie," he said.

"Me neither, I think I've seen it about eight times."

Blaine scoffed playfully. "Just eight? Amateur."

I shoved at his shoulder.

"Did you have fun tonight, Kurt?"

"Yes, very much."

"Would you maybe want to do it again sometime? Maybe tomorrow? Or Sunday?" Blaine asked, suddenly seeming bashful.

I felt my face fall, just a bit, "Blaine, I would love to, you know that, but Rachel has claimed me for the rest of the weekend."

"Claimed you?" Blaine grumbled. "Since when are you something to be claimed?"

"Blaine that not what I-"

"No, you're right. She treats you like property. I'm sorry, Kurt, I know she's your best friend," he said, his fingers making quotations around the phrase 'best friend'. "But she's using you. Do you realize that?"

Of course I did, but that was my job as a Wingman.

"And have you noticed how she's trying to keep us apart?" he continued, turning on the bed to face me with a serious expression.

"What? No she's not."

"Oh yes, she is. You haven't noticed that almost every single one of our plans ends up short because she's calling on you? You haven't seen the looks she gives me?"

"It's just a coincidence, Blaine."

"I don't think it is. I think she's jealous. I think she's jealous of our relationship and is trying to split us up."

I was having a hard time focusing on the last part of his sentence because I was still reeling from the fact that he had called it a 'relationship', not a friendship.

"Blaine," I said in a rush, turning to face him fully. "Even if Rachel was trying to do that, and I don't believe she is, nothing is going to split us up!"

I clapped a hand over my mouth. Shit. That was too much wasn't it? Shitshitshit. Why did I always say the dumbest things around him? But instead of banishing me from his house and his life, like I was sure he would, Blaine smiled the most beautiful smile I, up until that point, had ever seen, taking my hand. I stiffened, not because it was unwelcomed, but because it was still so foreign to me. He stroked his thumb over the back of my hand and I felt myself relax into the touch.

"You're right," he sighed. "You're right, Kurt. Nothing is going to split us up. Not ever."

That was, until about two weeks later when Rachel called me for the twentieth time while I was hanging out with Blaine.

Blaine and I had just stepped out of a movie, arm in arm, when it happened.

"Well, I thought it was well put together," Blaine said.

"Hmm, I don't know. I feel like the main actress over played her part. I mean, the actress in this version seemed to be in agony. In the original Broadway musical the actress was more, I don't know-"

"Sorrowful?"

I smiled at him. "Yes, exactly."

"So do you want to maybe grab some coffee and a good book? Then we could go to the park and read for a while?" Blaine blushed.

"I would love that." I said, matching his flush. We headed in the direction of the library, the great thing about small towns was that everything was within walking distance, our steps synching up together. The whole feeling was surreal.

"What time is it?" Blaine asked suddenly. "The sky seems lighter than it should be."

"Well, the closer we get to summer, the longer it stays brighter. Let me check."

When I looked at my phone, a call from Rachel was already in progress.

"Shit."

"Who is it? The Queen Bee?" Blaine grumbled.

"Hello?" I said, ignoring him. "Rachel?"

"Kurt? Thank god you picked up, where have you been?" she asked. "I've been calling you for the past hour and a half."

"Sorry, I was at the movies with a friend."

Blaine's face seemed to darken at the word.

"It's not Blaine is it?" she warned.

"Uh, n-no," I lied.

Blaine frowned. Oh. He could hear what she was saying.

"Good. Well your _best_ friend is in a crisis! I have an interview with a talent scout from NYADA in an hour and I have nothing to wear! Tina has already been here for an hour but she's no help," she begged. I could practically hear the tears in her eyes, "I need to you get over here now and help me!"

"Uh, Rachel, I'm kind in the middle of-"

"Kurt, please? You're my best friend and the only one who can help me right now."

I sighed into the phone. "Yeah, yeah sure. I'll be there in ten minutes. Just hang tight."

"Good," she said, all tears and desperation gone from her voice. "I'm glad to see you've finally come to your senses. I expect to see you in ten."

She hung up without so much as a thank you or a goodbye.

I turned back to Blaine who was giving me a disapproving look. His expression was like none I had ever seen, the perfect combination of hurt and anger.

"What?"

Blaine glared at me, actually _glared_. "Why do you let her do that?"

"Do what?" I asked.

"Why do you let her walk all over you like that?"

"She doesn't-"

"Kurt please," he scoffed, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "I've only been here for a few months and even _I_ can see the way she treats you."

"Yeah, well, you're the only one!" I snapped back, folding my arms across my stomach defensively. "People don't notice me, Blaine. That's just the way it is. The spotlight is made exclusively for the main character to soak up and enjoy, and the sidekicks? People like me? We stand to the side, in the dark and clap as they take their bow."

Blaine looked at me in silence for a moment, his brow knit.

"What?" I barked. As much as I liked getting attention for a change, I didn't like getting looked at like a kicked puppy.

"That's sad."

His entire attitude changed in an instant. He went from being irritated and angry to almost apologetic. Where had that come from? Why the sudden change?

"Huh?"

"It's sad that you think like that," Blaine almost whispered. "You shouldn't think of yourself as a supporting role in your own story, Kurt. You're a _star_, Kurt. And even if you don't see it, your star shines brighter than any other I have ever seen."

"And what about you, huh?" I asked, still on defense. I didn't need this, Rachel needed me. "Why don't you ever go out for solos or anything?"

"I told you, I'm not in glee for me," he said matter of factly. "I'm there for you. Sure, I love to sing and yes, it feels good and relaxes me, but I'm not worried about me. It's you I'm focusing on."

"Why me?" I mumbled dropping my arms, my eyes to the ground.

Blaine carefully put a hand on my shoulder. I looked into his eyes and I knew, I knew that he meant what he said, "Because you are something worth fighting for."


	7. Chapter 7

After the fight about Rachel, things were weird between Blaine and I. We hung out a little less; not enough to address but enough to notice. Blaine seemed distant. Instead of trying to stop my constant defending of Rachel, he would simply sink into his chair and let it slide. When we go to the park together, we sit in silence and read our own books, leaving a chilling space between us.

I hated it. Even though I was still loyal to Rachel, I hadn't realized how much I had grown to rely on Blaine. It felt like there was always something missing.

And it hurt.

One day, about a week or so later, I was headed out of the school, shaking the last of a purple grape slushie from my hair. I had so much homework to do that weekend and only a small time to get it done; Rachel and I had major Nationals practice to get done and a dinner at Breadstix.

As I headed to my car, I scanned the parking lot for that head of curly dark hair, hoping I might catch a glimpse of him before he disappeared for a whole weekend. I saw several members of the glee club milling about the area, but not the one I so desperately wished to see.

But then! Out of the corner of my eye, leaning against the flagpole; dark curly hair!

And when I took a closer look, I was both mistaken and confused.

"Mattie?" I said, walking up to the boy. Mattie Anderson was staring right at me, his light brown eyes digging into mine. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to talk to you, Kurt Hummel," he said in the most serious tone a nine year old could muster.

My eyes widened a little bit. "Alright, shoot."

"Where have you been these past few days?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why haven't you been over to our house in a while?" His small face was suddenly serious.

"Wait a minute, I thought you didn't like me, Mattie?" I smirked, crossing my arms, "You're always picking on me."

"Picking on you?" he asked.

"Yes, you are always making situations awkward, cracking jokes about Blaine and I, pushing me into him."

Mattie blushed at that. "I don't hate you, Kurt. As a brother, it's my job to make sure that you're all right for Blaine to be seeing. Blaine means the world to me, Kurt. He's my big brother. I'll do anything to ensure that he is happy."

I felt like my heart would explode. Mattie had really thought about this conversation, that much was proven by his attempt at using big words. It was amazing to me how one person could care about someone else so much that they would confront another for that them. Finn would never do anything like that for me.

But Mattie was here, protecting his older brother in the best way a little brother knew how.

"And since you've been around," the curly haired boy continued, "Blaine has been happier than I have ever seen. Ever. The problem is, Blaine hasn't been very happy these past few days." Mattie's brow knit, as if remembering something troubling, "He's been hanging at home more often, spending time out in the back yard under the tree, not even reading, just staring up at the branches. Why is that?"

I felt about two inches tall. Here was this kind little boy worried about his brother and I was the cause of it all. I was the reason the person he loved most was upset.

"Maybe you should come over, Kurt?" Mattie suggested, snapping me out of my self-loathing.

"What?"

"Maybe if you came over, Blaine would be happy again?"

So this is what it felt like to be an asshole.

"Mmm, that's probably not a good idea right now, Mattie. Honestly, I'm probably the reason he is so upset."

Mattie's hopeful expression darkened. "Why?"

"I have obligations to someone else," I sighed.

"Who?" he pried. "Do you have a secret boyfriend? Because that is not okay."

I silently cheered at the fact that Mattie was so accepting of both my and his brother's sexuality.

"What? No. Mattie! It's not like that. I have to be there for my best friend Rachel."

"Rachel?"

"Yeah, I've been her best friend for years now."

"Kurt," Mattie started, his tone serious again. "Did you ever think that you might be Blaine's best friend? Did you ever think that you might have to be there for him too?"

I was stunned. Where was this coming from? "But it's just Rachel-"

"It doesn't matter," he said with a shake of his head. "You might not like her in the same way that you like Blaine, but she's taking you away from him and it hurts him. Even I can see that, Kurt. Why can't you?"

I blinked down at the fierce little boy. Though I didn't want to admit it, he was right. Blaine might have been jealous of Rachel just like Rachel was jealous of Blaine. How did it come to this? And how did I not notice it when a nine-year-old boy could?

"How did you get to be so smart?" I smiled down at him.

"I've got a great teacher, even if he is an alien from planet Anderzon."

I laughed with him then. "Thanks for helping me, Mattie."

"No problem. I like you, Kurt. I think you're a great person and you're good for my crazy brother, even if you don't think you are. Hey, I know! Why don't you come to my birthday party this weekend?"

"Oh, Mattie, you know I would love to. But you see, I have-"

"Obligations?" Mattie sighed.

"Yes, obligations."

"Okay, well, I guess I'll see you around," he said, turning to leave.

"Happy birthday, Mattie!" I called after him. He waved a hand above his head in response.

I couldn't help be feel bad about turning him down, but I really did have a lot to do before going to Rachel's that weekend.

That Saturday found me sitting across from Rachel at Breadstix. I hadn't been able to finish my Calculus homework like I'd wanted because Rachel had decided that a three-way call with her and Tina was more important. Clearly, I had to get my priorities straight. I speared my salad with one hand while the other held my chin up on the table. I didn't usually have such poor table manners, but honestly, I was in no mood to be hanging out with Rachel, as was becoming the case more and more often. My mind was elsewhere; encircled in strong, tanned arms, underneath a willow tree, begging for forgiveness and a kiss.

Even if Rachel had given me the chance to do my homework, I'm not sure I would have been able to get it done. Since my talk with Mattie, all I could think about was Blaine and how I had let him down.

How could I do that? I was an awful person. This was why I was a wingman; I didn't deserve to be a Leading Man.

"You know, I read somewhere that they don't even bake these here," Rachel said, inspecting the long breadstick in her hand.

"So?" I asked, taking another mouthful of lettuce.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I guess it just takes the magic out of this place. I mean, it's called _Breadstix_! You'd think they would at least _make_ their own breadsticks!"

I smiled faintly at her. "Typical Rachel. Never satisfied with what's in front of her." My smile dropped instantly. Maybe I should listen to my own words? "Just be happy that they cater to your vegan needs."

"That's true. It's hard to find vegan friendly restaurants nowadays." She put down the breadstick. "You know, Kurt, I've got so say, it's nice for it to finally just be the two of us. No intruders. No distractions."

Gee, Rachel, what could you possibly mean by that?

"Yeah, it is nice," I sighed.

Suddenly, Rachel's phone rang in her purse. She pulled it out without a second though. "Oooh! Finn! Hang on, Kurt, I'll be right back," she said, answering it. "Hey, Finn! I miss you."

Rachel headed for the front door leaving me to sit alone. This would be a long call.

"So much for no distractions," I mumbled.

I poked at my salad again, suddenly losing my appetite. How was this fair? I had to be at Rachel's beck and call at every minute, but it was perfectly all right for me to be alone whenever she didn't need me. Why couldn't I have someone else to be with when she wasn't around? It was normal to have more than one friend to depend on. Friendship was a two way street, a give and take.

Spending all this time with Blaine had taught me that.

Blaine. Everything went back to Blaine these days. Whether it was a good thing or not, he had shaken my wingman tendencies and made me think more about myself and less about my Leading Lady.

I sighed, dropping my fork and leaning on my hands. Who was I kidding? Miracles didn't happen to people like me, they were reserved for people like Rachel and Quinn and Blaine. I was a wingman and I would always be a wingman.

"I wonder if they actually bake these here?" said a familiar voice from a few tables over.

I twisted in my seat to see Mattie Anderson inspecting a breadstick inches from his face. Across the table from him was a curly mop of dark hair, his back towards me. I knew in an instant that it was Blaine, simply by his response.

"Of course not," he scoffed at his little brother. "They have elves to do that."

"Elves? Blaine, you're weird. That's a lie."

"No he's right," I said, approaching the table. "Haven't you heard of the Keebler elves that live in trees and bake cookies? Same thing."

"Kurt!" Mattie squeaked, jumping out of his booth and giving me a hug, almost knocking me over. Well that was new.

"Hey, Mattie." I smiled down at him.

"What are you doing here?" the boy asked, taking his seat once again.

"Oh, I was just, uh, having dinner," I said, trying to avoid mentioning Rachel around Blaine.

"You should sit with us! Shouldn't he, Blaine?"

"Please, join us," Blaine said with a blank expression, gesturing to the table. I couldn't tell if he was mad at me or not, but I took the invitation, sitting next to the youngest Anderson.

"So what brings you here?" I asked.

"It's the little monster's birthday." Blaine smiled at his brother.

Mattie bared his teeth and made his hand looks like claws at Blaine before sticking out his tongue at him.

"And where is Mama Monster?"

"Probably on tour somewhere," Mattie laughed.

"Alright, smarty pants, I meant the parents of these monsters," I said, gesturing to the Anderson boys. "Not the one who hibernates in eggs and dresses in meat-suits."

"Our parents are away on business," Blaine answered for him, smiling at me for the first time in days.

"Well happy birthday, Monster Mattie," I said, eyeing Blaine through my peripheral vision. "How does it feel to be finally in the double digits?"

"Awesome! Blaine said that I could stay up until ten o' clock tonight."

"Makes sense," I grinned at him. "You _are_ practically an adult now."

"Hey!" Blaine warned playfully. "No filling his head with ideas."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Blaine," I said innocently. Blaine kicked my leg softly from beneath the table. I returned the favor with a nudge of my own. Blaine trapped my foot between his, catching my full attention. He looked at me from across the table with hooded eyes and I couldn't help but blush. I knew then that we were going to be okay.

As if on cue, the several servers came out of the kitchen, clapping in unison. The boy in front held a small birthday cake with what looked like ten candles on top. Mattie's face lit up like the sun, his grin practically splitting his face in half.

The servers surrounded our table, placing the cake in front of Mattie who was just about vibrating with excitement.

_Happy, happy birthday,_

_From all of us to you!_

_We wish it was our birthday,_

_So we could party too!_

_Hey!_

We clapped as they finished their song and Mattie blew out his candles, making a wish.

"You guys could party with us if you wanted!" Mattie offered, earning a laugh from the servers.

The boy who carried the cake eyed Blaine with a hungry eye. "I'll party with _you_ if you like. What do you think?"

Oh _please_.

Blaine simply reached across the table, taking my hand, making sure that everyone could see.

"What do _I_ think?" Blaine asked, squeezing my hand. He looked up at the waiter with narrowed eyes. "I'm not sure you would be welcome to _our_ party, right Kurt?"

I nodded quickly, still shell shocked from the sudden turn of events. The boy huffed, turning on his heel and heading back to the kitchen.

We ate our cake in contented silence as Mattie talked about the presents he had received. As I finished my piece, I peered over Blaine's shoulder to see if Rachel had actually returned from her phone call. She hadn't. Finn must have convinced her to ditch me for some reason, something I _really_ didn't want to think about.

I paid my bill at the other table as the three of us left Breadstix together.

"Kurt, won't you come back home with us?" Mattie asked as I walked them to their car.

I froze a little bit. "Oh, Mattie, I don't want to over stay my welcome."

"But you haven't given me my birthday present yet!" he pouted. "You could sing to me!"

"You should come with us. Would your dad mind?" Blaine said with a genuine smile.

I blushed; damn that smile and its magical ability to make my stomach flip.

"I-I could shoot him a text?"

"Yeah, yeah! Do that!" Mattie agreed, jumping up and down.

"You can follow me back to our house, alright?" Blaine added, pushing his brother toward the car.

"Okay," I laughed, pulling out my phone and heading to my own.

When we made it to the Anderson residence, the sun was slowly setting over the horizon. Mattie raced ahead of Blaine and me, eager to get inside for his birthday present. I had spent the entire drive over trying to think of a song to sing for him. I didn't have very many child-appropriate songs in my repertoire.

Blaine unlocked the front door, Mattie pushing past him into the foyer. I had been here a few times since that first dinner with the Andersons, but I never did get over the initial shock of walking into their home. The main entrance was still was as beautiful and ornate as the first time, though after learning the family within and becoming accustomed to their lives, the house had changed from almost cool and imposing to welcoming and warm.

I followed Blaine into the rarely used living room. I felt as though just about every house had one of those rooms; a place that was only used for special occasions and Christmas parties. This one was no different. Everything was decked out in white: the sofas, the carpet, the walls, with the occasional accent of black, like the coffee table and more importantly, the grand piano in the corner of the room.

Mattie emerged from the doorway, a juice box in hand.

"Mattie, you know you're not supposed to have drinks in here," Blaine scolded.

"But it's my birthday!" he whined. "And it's just a juice box, I can't even spill it!"

"Mattie I-"

"So what kind of song did you want me to play, Mattie?" I asked, giving him a wink.

Mattie smiled at me gratefully and took a sip of his drink pensively. He looked back and forth between Blaine and I. "I want a pretty song," he said finally.

"Well, okay. What kind? That's a vague statement. There are lots of different types of pretty songs."

"I want a love song," he said pointedly.

I blanched a little bit but nodded at his request. I had one song that was harmless enough to play for them. I turned to the piano and took a deep breath. I played the short introduction softly, closing my eyes and getting lost in the music. It was one of my favorite songs, one that I had been playing more and more often this year, one that I couldn't seem to get out of my head.

_You're in my arms  
And all the world is calm  
The music playing on for only two  
So close together_

I opened my eyes and turned to gage the reactions I might be getting from a song like this. Mattie was leaning on the back on the sofa, his head resting in his hands. He sighed deeply with a big smile, his eyes dreamy.

And then I saw Blaine.

His eyes were like two giant honeycombs underneath a slightly knit brow. His lips were slightly parted in what looked like awe.

It was then I realized why I had been singing this song so often; it was because this boy, this Blaine had given me reason to sing.

_And when I'm with you  
So close to feeling alive_

A life goes by  
Romantic dreams will stop  
So I bid mine goodbye and never knew  
So close was waiting, waiting here with you  
And now forever I know  
All that I wanted to hold you  
So close  


It scared me a bit how much the song meant to me in that moment. It was like the lyrics were saying everything I couldn't. How much I wanted to be with Blaine. How I knew I couldn't be.

Blaine didn't take his gaze off me, but I could see the emotion there, swelling behind his eyes.

Mattie looked between us with a satisfied, calculated smile.

I rolled my eyes at his smirk and continued his song, though as the song played out, it seemed to become less for Mattie and more for his brother.

_We're so close  
To reaching that famous happy end  
And almost believing this was not pretend  
Let's go on dreaming for we know we are  
So close  
So close  
And still so far_

I finished the last few notes, looking into Blaine's eyes. His smile was breathtaking, one that made my heart hurt with want.

"Finally," Mattie said, drawing me out of my daydreams.

"Huh?" I asked, dazed.

"I get to see my brother smile like that again. That's the best gift of all."

My eyes widened before I looked down blushing to my roots. Blaine laughed softly.

"Come on, Mattie, why don't we watch that new movie you got for your birthday?" Blaine suggested.

"Only if Kurt can sit in the middle," his brother smirked.

For the next two hours, the three of us sat on the Anderson's big leather couches and watch Mattie's movie. I didn't mind it, for a kid's movie it was pretty well done. Every now and then, Mattie would nudge me just hard enough to make me knock into Blaine's side. Each time, Blaine and I would stare at each other like we were some kind of new species, not sure what to do with each other. Eventually, Blaine wrapped his arm around the back of the couch and Mattie decided to lie down, leaving me with only one option, to snuggle into Blaine's side. Not that I minded. In all honestly, Blaine smelled fantastic, like sandalwood and coffee. It felt right to be there with him, it felt safe.

As the movie ended and Mattie's yawns grew more frequent, Blaine announced it was time for bed.

"But, Blaine, you said I could stay up until ten!"

"You're right I did," Blaine said in faux shock. "It's 11:30 now. Go get ready for bed."

Mattie grumbled but obeyed, giving me a hug goodnight.

Blaine walked me to the door then and we stood there in awkward silence. I wasn't sure what to say to him, nor did it seem like he knew what to say to me. I knew I should apologize for the way I had behaved when we saw each other last.

"I'm sorry," we said together.

"What?" I asked. "Why are you sorry?"

"Kurt, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so upset about Rachel. I overreacted."

"No, no you didn't. _I_ should be the one saying they're sorry. I shouldn't have blown you off like that."

"That's okay," Blaine said with a smirk. "You can always blow me another way."

"_Blaine_!" I squeaked, blushing all over.

"_Kurt_!"

But with that wisecrack, I knew that everything was back to normal.

"I guess I left that one wide open, huh?"

Blaine gave me a look and I could tell he was restraining yet another innuendo from spilling out. I punched him on the shoulder.

"Ask him out on a date already!" Mattie called from around the corner.

I watched as Blaine's color drained from his face, then quickly returned in a vibrant bright red. He whipped around just in time to see Mattie duck behind wall.

"Mattie!" Blaine choked. "What did I say? Go to bed!"

His little brother groaned and headed toward the stairs. When Blaine turned around, I could see that the boy had sat on the stairs, watching us still. I tried hard to bite back my laughter.

When I finally looked back at Blaine, his expression was one I hadn't seen before. He looked conflicted, as if trying to decide something that I couldn't figure out.

Though I didn't know what he was thinking, I couldn't help but blush slightly at my own ideas.

Blaine sighed, looking down at our feet. "I guess I should say goodnight."

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You will. Most definitely."

"It's a date then," I said with more confidence than I knew I had.

With that I turned and walked back to my car, turning every now and then to wave goodbye.

As I watched Blaine close the door, I swore I could hear Mattie shout, "Aw man, you didn't kiss him?"

And the whole drive home, I couldn't stop smiling.

**The song I used in this chapter is called **_**So Close**_** by Jon Mclaughlin. Thank you for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

After Mattie's birthday, things between Blaine and I went back to normal. Well, as normal as it ever was between the two of us. He and I started our trips to the park again, reading to each other under the great maples and the elm trees.

With all this attention, it was as if my world was being turned upside down.

One weekend, my dad and Carole went out of town on business and would be gone for a few days. When I told Blaine about this, he was outraged that I had to be home alone. I tried to explain to him that I had Finn, but of course, that wasn't good enough for Blaine. And that sparked a sleep over.

Blaine and Mattie came over that night, sleeping bags in hand. Pillows and blankets discarded, the three of us piled into the kitchen and baked chocolate chip cookies. The smell of cooking sugar and flour drew Finn from his room. I promised him a few if he helped clean up.

The entire exchange was slightly awkward due to the fact Blaine couldn't stop glaring at Finn. Ever since the incident with the slushie in the hallway, Blaine hadn't forgiven Finn for not protecting me like a brother should have.

We talked about the upcoming Nationals; what song we would sing after Rachel had her solo. I admitted to them that I would give just about anything to have a solo one day. Blaine gave me a strange look that I could not decipher at that.

When the cookies had cooled and Finn and Mattie had effectively eaten half of the batch on their own, we retired to the living room with bowls of popcorn for a movie. Blaine made sure to make fun of me for not putting butter or salt on mine.

"It's like popped corn on the cob!"

"With half the calories," I sniped, settling into his side.

Finn made a comment about inviting Rachel to our movie night in fear of what she might do it she found out we were doing something without her, which Blaine clearly was not a fan of. After convincing Finn that this was strictly a "boys night" he seemed to relax a little and pay attention to the movie.

When the credits began to roll, I decided it was time to call it a night. I led the Anderson brothers to the guest room to help set up their beds. Blaine pouted at the idea of having to sleep in the guest room instead of with me in my room. Laughing, I scolded him, explaining that _both_ of our brothers were in the house and even though nothing would have happened in the first place, it was still highly inappropriate. He laughed in response but caved in. As Mattie snuggled into bed and I turned to leave, Blaine caught me by the hand, stopping me. He gave my hand a kiss and wished me a good night. I knew my face must have been flushed from the way Blaine looked at me then.

It felt like Blaine was fixing something broken inside me, though what that was, I didn't know.

But as wonderful as he was, there were still things that even Blaine couldn't fix.

Later that week, after what seemed like an eternity without confrontation, my lucky streak ended.

I was headed to my locker after helping Rachel finish the last of her math homework before class. Dreamy eyed, I thought of the plans Blaine and I had made for the night; a trip to the Lima Bean and then over to his house to practice for Nationals, a.k.a., doo-wopping behind Rachel as she brought the house down. Even though I wasn't thrilled about standing behind Rachel and letting her soak up the spotlight, I was used to it and I was actually excited for the competition itself.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I was shoved into the lockers behind me; my head knocking into the cold, hard steel. I felt the collar of my shirt being grabbed into a meaty fist and I knew it could only be one person.

"Hello, Lady Lips," Nicky Maris sneered, only inches from my face. In the hand that wasn't holding me up against the wall was the all too familiar red Big Gulp cup, filled to the brim with purple slushie.

"Hello, Knuckle Dragger," I countered, though in hindsight, I probably was in no position to be making cracks at the boy who was threatening me with a frozen iceberg slap.

"You watch you mouth, filth."

"Only if you'll _wash_ yours. Seriously, Maris, you should invest in stronger toothpaste or at lea-"

Maris adjusted his grip on me, using his elbow to throw me into the lockers a second time. That time hurt more.

"Are you _talking back_ to me?" he barked.

"Wouldn't be the first time," I gasped. Why couldn't I learn to keep my mouth shut?

Nicky's eyes seemed to flash with hatred. He abandoned the slushie, dropping it to the ground in a sticky splash.

"I'm going to split you in half, Hummel!" Nicky bellowed, rearing back a fist. Before I could make a crude remark about "splitting me in half", Nicky's hand was stopped and he was spun around, dropping me completely.

"Hey, Guido!" Blaine said, gripping Maris' hand tightly. Both Puck and Mike flanked him from behind with arms crossed and authoritative expressions. Tina stood next to Mike, a glare on her usually kind face. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size, eh?"

Blaine swiftly moved between Maris and I. Mike and Puck stood on either side of Nicky, Tina next to me.

"Who the hell are you to talk to me like that, Hobbit?" Nicky growled.

"Ooooh, nice insult. I haven't heard that one before, Colossus," he shot back.

Maris took a swing at Blaine who quickly dodged it with his smaller, quicker, movements.

"Oh hey, Gigantor, I think dropped something." I watched as Blaine bent down, seemingly picking something off the floor. "Make sure you don't loose it again, big guy." Blaine flipped him off, pretending to pull his finger off and toss it to Maris. Blaine turned to me then with soft eyes, running his hands down my arms as if to check if I was all right. Though I knew I shouldn't have, I couldn't help but blush a bit. I saw Tina look at me and her smile was one that held compassion and love.

"So you're a gay homo, too?" the taller boy hissed.

Blaine spun around to face him, fire in his eyes. "I am _loving_ the second grade insults here, Nicky, really, you are just _so clever_. And yeah, so what if I'm gay? Saying so isn't even an insult. It is an observation. If we're going to state the obvious, I've got curly hair too and you're a homophobic prick. Yeah, I may be gay, but at least I have the decency to stick up for those I love which is more than I can say for you, asshole."

"Who the fuck do you think you are, faggot?" he bellowed.

Blaine punched him in the gut, making Nicky cough and double over, clutching his stomach.

"I'm Blaine Fucking Anderson and if I _ever_ catch you picking on Kurt or calling _anyone_ by that name again, I will personally make it my mission to make your life a living hell. Let's go, Kurt," he snapped, grabbing my wrist and leaving Nicky alone to moan in pain. I looked back over my shoulder to see Tina, with Mike's arm around her, walking in the other direction, giving me a smile.

Blaine pulled me out of the hallway and into the empty choir room, only releasing my hand when the door shut tightly. I watched as Blaine paced back and forth, still fuming from the interaction.

"Why did you do that?" I asked him, rubbing the wrist he had been tugging on.

"What do you mean?" he said, visibly relaxing at the sound of my voice.

"Why did you stand up for me like that?"

Blaine gave me an incredulous look. "Because I'm a decent human being and I know that no one should be treated that way you have."

"But no one has ever stuck up for me like that before."

"Well they should!" he snapped. "I know how terrible it is to have people pick on you mercilessly nonstop for years and years with no one even batting an eye at the horrors they see."

I understood then, simply by the emotion in his voice. Blaine, this perfect, wonderful, amazing boy in front of me, had been treated the same way.

"Blaine," I moved toward him, taking his shaking hands in mine. All this time, Blaine had been helping me overcome _my_ problems, _my_ bullies, _my_ insecurities, but I had never even thought of him, how _he_ might have a past as well. Blaine had been hurt too.

"Can I ask you something?" I said cautiously.

He nodded.

"Why did you move to this school?"

He looked away from me at first, pulling me down to one of the chairs to sit beside him, like he was remembering something far away.

"I wasn't always Mr. Popular, you know," he started. "Back at my other school, I didn't have many friends. I had come out in the tenth grade and at first; I thought everything was going fine. My family was more than accepting of me and my friends didn't treat me any differently, not right away. Everything was, well, normal. But soon, as time went on, the bullying started. It wasn't bad at first, just a few shoves and names here and there. But by my junior year, it had escalated. My friends started to distance themselves from me, not wanting to be associated with "the gay kid". They thought I might prey on them or something. Because of my height, they locked me in lockers, they jumped me behind the school or in the parking lots, they beat me on school buses. I hated it. I hated them, but I never hated myself. I knew who I was, I knew that I was _right_ in who I was, and through all their insults and battery, I would not change who I was."

Blaine's tone darkened and I couldn't help but squeeze his hand tightly. "Then, on my junior prom, I asked one of my old friends, Quinton, to go with me." He swallowed dryly. "We didn't even make it inside. They jumped up in the parking lot. They beat my date and I and called us terrible names. They beat us so severely, if a teacher hadn't come to investigate the noise, I don't know if I would be sitting here right now. Quinton was in the hospital for weeks recovering."

"And you?" I asked quietly.

"A few broken ribs, pelvis, nose, a ruptured spleen, and a lot of stitches later, I made it out in about a few months."

"Blaine-"

"When I got out of the hospital, my parents transferred me here to get away from all that. They didn't want me in that environment any longer. It was kind of strange, really." He smiled softly. "People here thought I was the coolest thing since sliced bread."

"Blaine, I'm so sorry. I didn't know," I whispered, leaning against his shoulder.

"Don't be sorry, Kurt. It's okay. I just- I know what you're going through. I know what it feels like to have no one willing to help you and I never want that for you." He looked at me with big, shining eyes. "I never want you to feel alone, because you're not. You're not alone, Kurt."

"And you're not either, Blaine," I smiled. "You've got me, whether you like it or not."

"I think I like that."

I looked deep into his eyes and I knew that that was the truest thing in his heart. What I didn't see was Rachel Berry watching from the doorway, her eyes narrowing as she spun on her heel and darted down the hallway.

The next morning, Rachel texted me in all caps about an important meeting we needed to have. I made my way to the choir room as quickly as I could. I had expected it to be the usual; something about NYADA, or Finn, or an outfit she needed fixing.

When I walked into the room I found Rachel standing with her back to me, her whole frame tense. There was no sheet music, no dress malfunction, nothing. It set me on edge a bit. What could she possibly need?

"Kurt."

"Hey Rachel, your text sounded urgent. What's the matter?"

She turned to face me, her face hard. She laced her fingers together as she slowly moved toward me.

"Kurt, I know there is only a week until Nationals and I know that there are other things going on in your life right now that annoyingly enough do not include me, but I have something to tell you."

"Rachel, your drama queen is showing again," I smirked.

"Kurt, this is _important_."

Oh no. This was about Blaine, wasn't it? She was going to order me to never see Blaine again. She was going tell me to stop being friends with him and shun him and I could never do that, not after what he had told me only the day before. I was never going to make him feel alone.

"I want you to take my solo at Nationals," she shot out, her words almost jumbling together.

My eyebrows shot up to my hairline, my eyes wide. "Wait_, what?_"

"I-I want you to sing for us, Kurt," she mumbled.

I was stunned. This didn't make any sense.

"What?" I repeated. It was all I could say.

"Don't make me say it again," she pleaded.

"B-but why? You love the spotlight! You've been working on your solo for weeks. I've heard you, I've helped you practice! Why?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you," she said, crossing her arms and looking away from me. It was clear she was not comfortable telling me this, but I had to know.

"Rachel, come on. We're best friends, we tell each other everything!"

She smiled a little at that. "Fine, but you can't let him know I told you."

_Him?_

"Blaine came and talked to me."

My eyes widened to the size of baseballs.

"Blaine?"

"He said that you should be the one to have the solo at Nationals," she explained, still not looking up at me. "At first I argued with him. I told him that he was being ridiculous and unfair. But he told me that _I _was the unfair one. That I was taking so much of the spotlight that I was snuffing out those around me. Normally, I don't care about those sorts of things; it's the best way to get ahead. But when he told me about you, how you would give anything to, just once, be in the spotlight, to be a star, a Leading Lady in your own right, I couldn't really say no."

Blaine. Blaine had done this. Blaine had somehow gotten Rachel to give me my chance in the lead. Blaine.

My mind was a jumbled mess. I didn't understand what I was feeling or what I was thinking. The only thing that rang clear in my head was Blaine. Beautiful Blaine. Wonderful, smart, funny, gorgeous, perfect Blaine.

"I know that feeling," Rachel continued. "I know the love of the spotlight. And, well, what kind of best friend would I be if I didn't let you have your time there too?"

I gave Rachel the biggest hug I had ever given her, thanking her profusely. I needed to prepare. I had to do something for him like he had done for me. Something for Blaine. Something perfect for perfect Blaine.

_**The name Quinton I used as homage to the fabulous and perfect Zachary Quinto.**_


	9. Chapter 9

With only a week to prepare, I had to practice night and day to make sure I was ready. After picking the perfect song to sing for Nationals, and really for Blaine, I pretty much only ate, slept, and sang.

Even though Rachel told me not to tell Blaine that I knew he had spoken to her, I couldn't hold back from at least telling him the good news.

Lying on my back that night, I looked up at the ceiling as I dialed Blaine's number.

"Hello? Blaine Anderson speaking."

"What was that?" I snorted.

"Kurt?"

"Of course it's Kurt, silly. Who else would call you from this number?"

He laughed at that. "Sorry, I didn't look at the screen when I answered. I'm waiting for a certain phone call."

"Oh? Something I should be worried about?" I joked.

"No, you _never_ have anything to worry about. Besides, would I answer the phone like that for someone I was going to cheat on you with?"

My stomach flipped at that. No, we weren't actually dating and no, that shouldn't have mattered to me, but it did.

"So who _were _you expecting? With an answer like that, I'm assuming it's someone important."

"Colleges, actually," he supplied. "I called one of my potential schools a few days ago and I've been on edge about their response. So, why did _you_ call me? I'm sure it wasn't to hear about my possible higher education."

"No, though that is very interesting," I laughed. "I wanted to tell you what happened today with Rachel. You'll never believe me."

"Try me." I could practically hear the smile on his face.

"Rachel gave me her solo for Nationals! I've been practicing nonstop since she told me. I'm so excited!"

"Kurt, that's wonderful! I'm so proud of you. You're finally getting your shot!"

_All thanks to you, I thought._

"But I have to admit, I'm a little terrified. What if I'm not good enough?"

"Kurt, please, I've heard you sing. You're one of the best performers I've ever heard, and that's saying something because I went to a Katy Perry concert two years back." I laughed at that. "You'll be fine, Kurt. There's no reason for you to be nervous. You're going to kill this thing."

"Thank you," was all I was able to say without giving everything away.

"So what song did you choose? Can I help you practice?" Blaine said changing the subject.

"Well," I said, already starting to blush. "I can't tell you. It's a surprise."

"What?" he exclaimed. "Kurt, come on, that's not fair! I can't handle suspense!"

"Oh, please, you can handle two days."

"Says you," he pouted through the phone.

"No, Blaine. This is something I have to do, something I want to do, and you of all people cannot hear this song until it's meant to be heard."

"Fine, but then you can't hear the song that _we're _working on for the group number!"

"Blaine!"

"Two can play at this game, Mr. Hummel," Blaine said.

"You, sir, are terrible."

"You like it."

I blushed again. "Yeah, yeah I do."

Blaine's whole voice changed then, from joking to gentle. "So, I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Definitely."

"Alright. And Kurt?"

"Hmm?"

"Make sure you don't miss glee club tomorrow. You won't want to miss it."

As I walked into glee the next afternoon I was practically vibrating with curiosity. Who ends a phone call like that? He wasn't the only one who couldn't handle suspense. I sat between Rachel and Tina on the bottom row waiting for rehearsal to start. Tina kept giving me the weirdest smiles but whenever I asked her what her problem was, she always said the same thing.

"Oh, Kurt, believe me, there is no problem."

Mr. Schue started class, talking about Nationals.

I sighed and settled into my seat, just waiting for the day to end. As time grew closer, I grew more and more frantic about Nationals, only one day away now. I was on edge. I was a Wingman; there was no way I could pull this off. I wasn't meant to have the spotlight. I was supposed to sway in the background, I was out of place.

That's when Blaine walked in, taking the stage.

"Hi, everyone. I know I'm the newest member of glee club and it's kind of a bad time to want to sing anything that isn't for Nationals, but in a way this is. I dedicate this song to Kurt." He turned, talking only to me. "Kurt, I know you're worried about tomorrow, but you don't have to be. I know you will move mountains. I hope this helps build your confidence."

"Can't complain now, can you, Fabray?" Rachel whispered.

"Shut it, Berry."

Tina shushed the two of them, turning back to Blaine who had moved to sit at the piano. He looked at me one final time before playing out the opening chords. I would be lying if I said I had never heard the song before and I would be lying if I said that it was not the most beautiful thing I had ever heard.

_You're a falling star, you're the get away car.  
You're the line in the sand when I go too far.  
You're the swimming pool, on an August day.  
And you're the perfect thing to say._

I couldn't help but laugh at that. There had been so many instances where Blaine had stepped over the deemed line of appropriate language around parents, siblings, and well, anyone else.

_And you play it coy but it's kinda cute._

Blaine winked at me then and I couldn't help but blush. I looked down at the floor for a moment, trying to contain myself.

This was the first time that someone had put me in the spotlight like this; the first time someone had sung to me, to only me, just for me.

_Ah, when you smile at me you know exactly what you do.  
Baby don't pretend that you don't know it's true.  
'Cause you can see it when I look at you._

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times  
It's you, it's you, you make me sing.  
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

And the emphasis he put on the last word, I knew he was telling the truth. This beautiful song was not just something to calm me down; Blaine was telling me something much deeper.

And it was everything I had ever wanted to hear.

_You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,  
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.  
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,  
You're every minute of my every day._

Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,  
And you know that's what our love can do.

_So, la, la, la, la, la, la, la  
So, la, la, la, la, la, la, la_

You're every song, and I sing along.  
'Cause you're my everything.  
Yeah, yeah  


I could hardly breathe. No one had ever done something like this for me. Somehow, someway, I had become something, I had become _everything,_ to this wonderful, amazing boy. Now I was learning that he was my everything too.

_So, la, la, la, la, la, la, la  
So, la, la, la, la, la, la, la_

The room erupted into applause, but Blaine barely acknowledged it. To my left, Rachel sat seething. She must not have liked that I was the one who had been serenaded, it was usually her. Was she jealous?

On the right, Tina clapped the loudest, giving Blaine a standing ovation. She giggled as she looked between Blaine and me with the biggest smile I had ever seen on her face.

After everyone had settled down from Blaine's performance, class resumed as usual. When Mr. Schuester dismissed us, I was still glued to my seat, still processing what had happened only minutes before.

"Kurt?" I looked up to see Blaine staring at me from the piano. I surveyed the room, noticing that we were the only two left.

I didn't respond to him. I couldn't respond without my voice cracking from the emotions swirling around inside me.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked again, kneeling down in front of me. "Kurt, say something." His voice was like a broken vase, once beautiful, now shattered.

"Why?" I whispered.

"Why what?"

"Don't play dumb, Blaine. I know you better than that."  
"That's right, you do," He smiled. "Why did I sing that for you?"

I nodded. "Unless it's to shove me into a wall, no one ever notices me."  
"You were the first person to talk to me, you know," he said.

"What?"

"You were. No one even bothered to try. You were the first."

"Well, we were paired together-" I tried to reason.

"Can you honestly say that you wouldn't have said _something_ to me otherwise? Come on, Kurt I know you better than that."

I smiled at him using my words against me. "That's right, you do," I repeated. "Well, I might have said _something_."

"And that's what I love about you, Kurt," he said, putting a hand on my knee.

I stopped, my eyes widening.

"When I first come here, I didn't have a single friend. That changed, but not before you. You were the first. You care. You care more than anyone I've ever met."

"No-"

"Yes! I don't know why you don't see it!"

"Because I'm not- not caring." And it was true. It was something I had been dealing with for a long time. I was not a caring person, I didn't even notice when I was hurting Blaine back before the talk with Mattie. I only thought about my Leading Lady and myself. That was all.

"But you are!" he argued. "More than anyone. You cared enough to help your stepbrother with his dancing and with any problems with Rachel. You care enough about Rachel to help her whenever she needs it. To check her outfits and practice solos with her. Hell, you care enough to sacrifice your own happiness to follow her to NYADA! But most importantly, you cared about me. Someone you didn't even know. You cared enough to reach out to me and accept me when no one else would."

"Blaine-"  
"It was all true, you know," he said, looking up at me with long lashes. "The song. You're beautiful, Kurt. You're beautiful and amazing and talented and worth so much more than you let yourself be. I just can't understand why you don't see it."

"No one notices me." I mumbled.

Blaine picked up my chin with his thumb and forefinger. "I notice you, Kurt."

I could feel the butterflies building in my stomach again. It happened every time he looked at me like that, a look of caring and trust and hope. Blaine's hand moved to my cheek and I couldn't help but lean into the touch. This was so unreal, it was as if I, Kurt Hummel, had somehow become the lead.

"Kurt," he sighed, looking down at my lips and back up to my eyes, a gesture I had only ever seen in movies. His brow knit as he leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. At first, my eyes widened to full capacity with shock. How had this happened to me? It was like a dream come true. Blaine tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, deepening the kiss a bit. My head was swimming.

"This is insane," I whispered against his lips.

"What is?"

"This. Us. This sort of thing only happens to lead roles, not to the extras."

Blaine pulled away just enough to look into my eyes. "To me, you are the lead. You are the biggest, brightest shining star there ever was. And I'm just lucky to be a part of the show, watching you glow."

Then I kissed him again. I couldn't help it. He didn't seem to mind, leaning into me and sighing with content like I was be best thing since the invention of Nutella.

His lips were soft against mine, moving slow and steady, because really, why hurry? We didn't need to. Blaine's free hand came around my waist, pulling me forward in my chair, closer to him.

"I did it, you know," I breathed, pulling away for air.

"Made me fall for you?" Blaine gasped, moving to my neck. He pressed sweet kisses over every inch he could reach, under my jaw, down my neck, in the place where throat meet shoulder.

I giggled. "No, applied to fashion schools. Back when we had our talk about what we wanted to do after high school."

Blaine pulled fully away then and the smile that he gave me made my heart ache. It was made of pure joy.

"Kurt, that's wonderful!" he exclaimed, pulling me in for a tight hug and kissing me fiercely. "Where?"

"Parsons and FIT," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I know they're really selective, but if there's anything I've learned from you it's that it doesn't hurt to try."

Blaine pulled me in for another kiss, this one full of an emotion I was only just then starting to understand.

"Rachel isn't going to be happy when she hears about this, though," I sighed.

"No," Blaine said, pulling away again. "But maybe when you bring us home a Nationals trophy, she might turn around."

_**The song I used in this chapter was Everything by Michael Buble.**_


	10. Chapter 10

After a four o'clock wakeup call and an eight-hour flight, the New Directions had successfully made it to Nationals in Los Angeles. We piled into our hotel rooms, boys in one room, girls in the other, exhausted from the long day of travel. We didn't have much time to relax as we were to perform in a little over an hour. We all got ready as quickly as possible, the girls sliding into their dresses and putting on their make-up, the boys buttoning their vests and trying in vain to figure out how to tie a bow tie. In the end, I ended up tying more than half of the guy's ties; the curse of being fabulous, I guess.

I spent extra time on my skin care regimen and my hair products, making sure I looked better than I felt. It wasn't as if I was getting cold feet or anything; it was just the first time I would be singing a solo in front of an audience! It was natural for me to be at least a little nervous, right?

The looks I was getting from Rachel were not helping my mood either. She kept shooting me death stares and criticizing eyes, as if to see if I would crack under the pressure and she would have to swoop in and save the day.

But no, I would not let that happen, even if I could feel my legs shaking as time moved closer.

The New Directions and I sat waiting for our turn in a green room. We listened to the other teams singing through the speaker above us. The whole thing was very intimidating. My teammates talked amongst one another, as if this wasn't one of the most stressful days of our lives. Blaine sat next to me on one of the couches, holding my hand and staring at me with empathetic eyes, which in the long run, only made my stomach churn more.

Since yesterday, Blaine had made it even more difficult to determine whether we were an item now or not. He stayed by my side as much as possible, giving me a gentle squeeze here, a soft, reassuring kiss there. But did that mean we were dating? I mean, Tina had been giving me kisses to the cheek all day! I would have been nice if _something_ wasn't confusing for once.

I excused myself quickly, needing a breath of fresh air.

Maybe I couldn't do this? If I was having this much trouble now, how could I possibly sing on stage? Maybe I should just let Rachel do it-

"Kurt?" a voice called.

I turned on my heel to find Tina looking up at me with kind eyes.

"Oh, uh, hi, Tina." I stuttered.

"What's the matter?"

"Oh, it's nothing," I said, trying hard to keep composed. "Don't worry about it."

"Come on, Kurt. I've known you long enough to know that that is bullshit. Spill."

I knew that Tina meant business then; Tina Cohen-Chang didn't just swear for nothing.

"Well, it's just that, it's the solo, what if I'm not good enough? I've never done something like this before. What if I mess up or freeze up or choke up or _throw_ up! Tina, I'm so nervous. Maybe I should just have Rachel sing, I'm sure she has something prepared just in case I fail-"

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel," Tina scolded, looking me straight in the eyes. "I have stood with you behind the fiery burning flame that is Rachel Berry for three years now and I have never seen someone with as much spark as you. Sure, we've been burned before, by bullies with slushies, cruel teachers, hell, Rachel has burned us more times than is probably allowed for one person. But we have made it through it all together and have become better people because of it. But, Kurt, this is _your_ shining moment! We may have been branded wingmen all our lives, but now, this is _your_ moment, _your_ change to show the world that you can defy gravity and fly away from the path that has so far been set for you. I believe in you, Kurt, and I know you can do this because you're a star."

I was stunned. Tina really understood it. She and I had been through so much together as Rachel's lackeys. Tina had been there for me every step of the way from joining glee club to supporting my crush on Blaine.

I smiled down at her. "You know, Rachel may have her seal on me as her best friend, but you've got mine."

It looks as though Tina's eyes were actually twinkling as her face broke out into that sweet smile that had accompanied me through thick and thin. She darted forward, pulling me into the tightest hug the small girl could muster.

"I won't let you burn, Kurt. I've got you, and _you've_ got _this_."

As if on cue, the door to our green room burst open; the New Directions filing out and heading backstage. Blaine moved aside to stand with us.

"Lookin' good, Cohen-Chang," he smirked.

I followed his eyes, taking in Tina's dress. It was identical to the other girls' dresses; a dark blue base with large black polka dots on the skirt and a light grey petticoat down to the knee. The middle matched the ruffles below in a shiny, silky, light grey fabric. All of the girls had pulled their hair back into a half up, half down look that really framed her face wonderfully. I fluffed a little bit at the sight; she really did look beautiful.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Anderson," she winked, joining the retreating group and leaving us alone.

At that comment, I couldn't help but sneak a look at Blaine too. All of the New Directions boys wore black pants and a black, short-sleeved, dress shirt. Over the shirt we wore a blue vest that matched the base color of the girls' dresses. Around our necks we had matching bowties.

The weird thing about it was, Blaine seemed to look better than all of the other guys; his tie a little straighter, his pants a little tighter, his vest a little shinier.

Blaine cleared his throat and I knew I had been staring too long.

I blushed to my roots, looking away. He took my hand, leading me toward the stage.

"How about these outfits, huh?" I could tell he was trying to be nice and not mention the fact that I had been ogling him not two minutes before.

"What about them?" I said carefully. "Do you not like them?"

"Not like them, are you kidding? They're so cool!" We had made it to the last corner backstage, around which the rest of our team was waiting. But Blaine seemed to have other plans. He pulled me backward and into the wall. He moved in close to me, his face only inches from mine. I looked down at him, my heart beating at triple its normal rate. Blaine placed a hand on my chest, pulling at the vest's lapel. "I love the feel of these vests, they're so smooth and silky. And these bowties, very dapper."

He pulled on my tie, straightening it a little bit. His hands ran down my shoulder and my arms. "And these shirts are so comfortable, perfect for dancing in," his expression darkened even more. "Or, you know, something else."

Blaine nuzzled into my neck and under my chin. His hands roamed down even further, sliding around my thighs and circling around to my ass. "And these pants are so nice, but I have to say, yours are downright _sinful_. Really, Kurt, did you paint these on because _damn_."

"Imadethem," I gasped out.

Blaine pulled back, leaving only his hands on my hips. I whined a little at the loss of connection.

"What?" he asked.

"The outfits. I made them."

Blaine looked down at his own outfit and back at mine, his eyes wide as saucers.

"No way."

Finally shaking out of my lustful haze I nodded. "No really. And the dresses too."

Blaine's mouth dropped open. He released me completely, rushing to look at the girls around the corner. I followed him, taking in the sight.

"Kurt," he half laughed. "If you do not get into some fashion school I swear to god I'm going to burn down Rachel Berry's house. Seriously, a dream like that is meant to be chased."

I laughed with him, taking his hand and heading toward the rest of the team. I was feeling much better after listening to Tina, and Blaine's "physical therapy" as we walked out behind the curtain to take our places. Blaine made to leave when I had to stop him, pulling on his arm.

"What is it?" he turned back to me with a confused smile.

This was it. He was so perfect. It was like fate. Blaine had swooped in out of nowhere, when I least expected it, changing my life in ways I had never dreamed possible. He came to me offering hope and future, telling me I was the brightest star in the sky. And just like that Blaine Anderson was in my heart for good. Even when times got rough with Nicky and Rachel, he was there and he was all I could see. We fit so well together, the prefect combination of sanity and insanity. And now this was my time to show him and the world how much he had done for me and how much he meant to me.

"Just- Just listen, okay?" I breathed.

He smirked at me before placing a quick kiss to my lips. "You too."

Before I even had a moment to process what that meant, the lights above flashed, signaling thirty seconds until the curtain rose.

I took my place at the front of the group, just a bit more forward than the others. I looked back at Blaine one more time, standing next to Tina. They flashed me a thumbs up and that was all I needed.

The curtain rose up on a dark stage. A single beam of light illuminated me as the intro of the song was played out on guitar. This was it, I was finally a leading man in the spotlight, but what confused me was what was running through my mind; not fame, not recognition, not sticking it to Rachel Berry. No, the one thought in my mind was of Blaine.

I snapped my head up, a smile on my face and a spring in my step:

_Stop me on the corner  
I swear you hit me like a vision_

As I sang the verse, the stage gradually lit up, revealing the rest of the New Directions in their smiling faces and dance moves. Brittany, Santana, and Mercedes stood in the back, keeping beat with a series of clapping-stomp moves.

_I, I, I wasn't expecting  
But who am I to tell fate where it's supposed to go with it  
Don't you blink you might miss it  
See we got a right to just love it or leave it  
You find it and keep it  
Cause it ain't every day you get the chance to say_

At the chorus, I found Blaine in his place, front and center with me. I looked at him with all the emotion I had in me. He seemed to understand, smiling that breathtaking smile, just for me.

_Oh, this is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart  
It goes off like a gun, brighter than the sun  
Oh, we could be the stars, falling from the sky  
Shining how we want, brighter than the sun  
_

I followed Blaine around the stage for most of the song, making gestures to my heart and to the sun. His smile never once faltered.

_I've never seen it, I found this love, I'm gonna feed it  
You better believe, I'm gonna treat it better than anything I've ever had  
Cause you're so damn beautiful  
Read it, it's signed and delivered let's seal it  
Boy we go together like peanuts and paydays and Marley and reggae  
And everybody needs to get a chance to say_

Oh, this is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart  
It goes off like a gun, brighter than the sun  
Oh, we could be the stars, falling from the sky  
Shining how we want, brighter than the sun, yeah  
Brighter than the sun.  
Brighter than the sun.  
Brighter than the sun.  
Oho, yeah, oho

By now, we were skipping around the stage, clapping in tune, getting the crowed involved and they were more than happy to oblige. The New Directions boys began to chant the last verse.

_Oh, this is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart  
It goes off like a gun, brighter than the sun  
Oh, this is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart  
It goes off like a gun, brighter than the sun  
Oh, this is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart  
It goes off like a gun, brighter than the sun  
Oh, this is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart  
It goes off like a gun,_

_Brighter than the sun_

I sung the last line, only to be greeted with a quick, deafening applause from our audience. I stood center stage, looking out at all the people who had gathered here, who had heard me sing. I noticed my dad, Carole and the Andersons sitting a few rows back, having flown in to support us and my first solo.

I felt like I could fly. It was the best feeling I had ever had in my entire life. That is, until the next song started.

_Forever unstoppable!_

_Forever, forever, forever unstoppable!_

I spun around, finding Tina at the top of the risers, her hand pointed upward and her eyes trained on me. The rest of the group had crowed around her, facing the audience and it was only then I realized I had never learned song. Every time I had shown up to practice, I had been excused to work on my solo. I knew the harmonies I had to sing, but I had no idea what the song actually was or what to do with my feet!

But my worries melted away when Blaine emerged from the group on his own, making his way toward me, his hand outstretched and singing the opening lines.

_Falling stars don't crash through your window  
If you want it, go get it, it's meant to be chased  
All your scars won't heal till you let go  
You're perfectly worth it, forget your mistakes_

Now I knew what Blaine had meant by "you too". This song was to me. Blaine was singing to me, in front of thousands of people.

_If you wanna fly, leave this world with me  
We'll touch the sky, let's defy this gravity  
Hold on to me tight, when it all falls down_

I took his outstretched hand willingly. Suddenly, he pulled me in a twirl to him, looking deep into my eyes and making my heart stop before releasing me again.

_You can take my heart, if yours won't beat  
We're forever unstoppable  
If you're torn apart, I'll make you see  
That nothing's impossible  
When you're broken, and you're shattered  
Love will save you from disaster  
You can take my heart, if yours won't beat  
We're forever, forever, forever unstoppable  
_

Just then, Tina emerged from the back of the group, singing the next line. Suddenly, her words from earlier made so much more sense.

_Yeah we've both been touched by the same flame  
Don't worry, I've got you, I won't let you burn  
You and I got played by the same game  
We're in it, together, for better or worse  
If you wanna fly, leave this world with me  
We'll touch the sky, let's defy this gravity  
Hold on to me tight, when it all falls down  
_

The rest of the New Directions came up joining in on the next chorus.

_You can take my heart, if yours won't beat  
We're forever unstoppable  
If you're torn apart, I'll make you see  
That nothing's impossible  
When you're broken, and you're shattered  
Love will save you from disaster  
You can take my heart, if yours won't beat  
We're forever, forever, forever unstoppable  
_

Tina pulled me center stage. She clutched at my hand, singing the bridge to me.

_There's a feeling inside you,  
Just dying to break through,  
Open up and set it free  
We're on a horizon  
Just look in my eyes and you will see  
_

She spun me around so that I could see Blaine approaching from the side of the stage, sauntering up to me. He looked at me as if I was the only one in the room and I could feel the tears starting to brim. He sang softly to me.

_When you're broken, and you're shattered  
Love will save you from disaster_

I joined Blaine on the last two lines, unable to keep it in any longer. He smiled broadly, taking my hand. Tina came to my side, taking my other hand. And when we sang together, the crowed exploded into cheers and applause.

_You can take my heart, if yours won't beat  
We're forever unstoppable_

If you're torn apart, I'll make you see  
That nothing's impossible  


Looked between them, my heart swelling and my eyes tearing as I took the higher notes in echo.

_When you're broken, (when you're broken)_

_And you're shattered (and you're shattered)  
Love will save you (love will save you)_

_From disaster (save you from disaster, baby)  
You can take my heart,(when you're broken)_

_If yours won't beat (and you're shattered)  
We're forever, forever, forever unstoppable  
We're forever, forever, forever unstoppable  
We're forever, forever, forever unstoppable  
Forever unstoppable  
_

It felt as if the cheering would never end. The song ended with all of us holding hands at the front of the stage, Blaine on my left, Tina on my right, and me, front and center. I had given up on keeping my tears in check and was openly crying, staring up at the ceiling, trying to take in what had just happened. I was only half aware of the flashes of cameras going off and the tug on my arm as I was lead off stage.

When I finally came to, I was surrounded by the New Directions.

"Kurt, that was incredible!"

"Kurt, who knew you had it in you?"

"That was amazing!"

"That was awesome, Lady face!"

"Thanks, Puck," I laughed, wiping the tears out of my eyes.

"Why are you crying, Kurt?" Brittany asked, peering over Santana's shoulder.

Why was I crying? Because this was a dream come true. I had finally had a solo, I had performed in front of a live audience, I had been _sung to_ in front of thousands of people, but above all that, everyone was looking at me. Not Rachel. Not Quinn. Me. They had finally noticed me and it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

I looked at Blaine who was right there next to me and Tina on my other side, just as she had always been, and took their hands. "No reason, Britt. I'm just really, _really_ happy."

Blaine leaned over, kissed my cheek and wiped a fresh tear that had fallen with his free hand.

"I've got to say, little bro, I was really impressed with you," Finn smiled down at me.

"Finn, just because I'm shorter than you, doesn't mean I'm your little brother," I sighed with a smile. It was good to have a little normality to this dream I was having.

"But you _are_ littler than me?"

"I'm three months older!"

Blaine and I met up with our parents later after the award ceremony. We dragged behind them holding hands as they talked together. Mattie, who had begged to come along, took pictures at every chance he could get, asking us questions ranging from how it felt to win our first National competition to if Blaine and I were official yet. Blaine had smirked at that, pushing the camera away and responding with a "No comment," before attacking my face. Mattie made a face and snapped one more picture before rushing up to the parents. Oddly enough, I didn't even care that my dad was only a few feet in front of me as I kissed him back with just as much passion, wrapping my arms around his neck.

Once we arrived at the hotel lobby, we parted from our families and headed for bed, exhausted from a long day.

"Kurt?"

I turned to see who had called me, finding a very small looking Rachel Berry watching me from the girl's room doorway. She had her arms crossed across her chest defensively. I made to leave Blaine behind but he was having none of it, keeping his hand tightly in mine.

"Hey, Rachel."

"I just wanted to congratulate you," she smiled weakly. "You were really great out there. Better than I ever could have done."

I stepped forward, pulling her into a hug. She relaxed into my embrace a little. "Thank you, Rachel. You have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you so much for this opportunity."

We pulled apart, Rachel looking more at ease than she had a moment ago.

"Besides," she chirped. "With a voice like that and this Nationals win under our belts, we'll be an unbeatable team at NYADA in the fall!"

My stomach felt like it was going to drop out my ass. Shit. I hadn't told her about not going to NYADA yet. I looked to Blaine, panicked. He simply stepped forward and took my hand, giving it a squeeze, and it was all the courage I needed.

"Look, Rachel, I know how much NYADA means to you and I know you have been working hard to be perfect for next fall," I paused, looking back at Blaine who gave an encouraging nod. "But that's not for me."

"What?" Rachel gawked.

"Rachel, I love singing and dancing and all that stuff, but it's not my passion. I would love to be able to try out for shows as a hobby, but my real dream is to be a fashion designer. I want to help people stand out and be who they want to be through freedom of expression, not follow a script someone has written for me. I applied to some fashion schools in New York City a few months ago and if I'm good enough to get in, I'm going. I'm not saying I don't want to live together, because I still will, if you'll let me. It's just, I have to do what I want to do."

When I finished, she looked up at me through long lashes a faint smile on her lips. "I guess that would explain the department store in your locker and the time you spent on these dresses, huh?"

I nodded sheepishly.

"Well, Kurt, it seems like you've made up your mind, doesn't it?" she shrugged. "Who am I to say no? But let me make one thing clear right now, Kurt Hummel. If you leave fabric samples around our apartment, I will not hesitate to burn them!"

I squeaked with joy, capturing her in a hug again.

"And I get to be your model! I want to be able to say I've tried on the hottest clothes before they hit the shelves!"

"Rachel, I'll make clothes _specifically_ for you!"

**I have complete dances in my head for the two songs above, but I have no idea how to portray them without chopping up the whole song and ruining the flow… Oh well.**

**The songs I used are **_**Brighter Than the Sun**_** by Colbie Caillat and **_**Forever Unstoppable**_** by Hot Chelle Rae**


	11. Chapter 11

"God, apartments are expensive," I groaned, bringing the book I held above me down so I could bury my face into it. I had my head in Blaine's lap as the two of us sat underneath our favorite tree at the park. The green was filled with more people than usual, it being summer now. Couples lay out on cliché, checkered blankets, girls in nothing but bikinis soaked in the sun, children ran through the grass and splashed each other in the pond. To say that it was a picture perfect day would be an understatement.

"No need to call me, God, sweetheart," Blaine quipped, earning a smack with my book. "I know that things will be tight. Well, as we both know, things are already pretty _tight_ between us."

"Oh my god, _Blaine stop_." I blushed. He laughed at my obvious embarrassment. "You can't just say things like that!"

"What, and not deliver? Kurt, we both know that I come through when you want me to," he winked.

My eyes widened to a comical size, as I blushed deeper and sat upright.

"_Blaine_," I hissed. I couldn't really be mad at him though because he _did_ always come through whether that was literally or physically. As time had progressed, Blaine and I had become even closer, if that were even possible.

I buried my face in my hands at the memories, too embarrassed by my own dirty thoughts to even look at him.

"Will you stop making Kurt blush, Blaine? I think he's going to explode if he changes to _another_ shade of red!" Mattie said, stepping from behind the tree. He brushed off his violet polo with a smirk.

"I didn't even do anything for that last one!" Blaine defended. I peeked at him through my hands and I saw his expression change from innocent to wicked. "What _were _you thinking about, Kurt? Hmm?"

I had to cover my face again as he pulled me back to him with a laugh.

"Gosh, if I knew you two would be this sappy when you were finally together, I never would have pushed you along!" Mattie groaned, taking a seat next to us.

"Well _excuse me_ for loving my boyfriend like I should!" Blaine said, sticking out his tongue like _he_ was the ten year old.

"Boys, please," I said, pulling out of Blaine's arms to face them properly. "Enough with the bickering?"

"Yes, mom," they said in unison, both earning a bop on the head from me.

"Now before we got off on this tangent, I was serious about our future expenses in New York. Blaine, it's not going to be cheap." I opened my book entitled _New York Living for the Young and Inspired _to my last page, pointing the statistics listed.

"Between you, Rachel, and myself, we'll be able to manage," he said confidently. "And my parents said that they were willing to help us out until we got squared away."

It was true, Blaine's parents had actually been thrilled to hear that Blaine had gotten into NYU for music education and was going to live with Rachel and myself. The three of us had been doing a lot of research to find an apartment that would be able to fix the three of us plus a music room for Blaine and a design room for me. Rachel, though hesitant with the idea at first had finally caved into the idea of Blaine living with us when she heard that he could pay for most of our expenses.

"And what about me?" Mattie pouted, crossing his arms. "Where am I going to stay?"

I laughed a little. "Well we're looking for a place with a guest room too, so you can have your own room when you visit."

"Mom and Dad won't let me visit on my own," he argued.

"Sure they will. I've already asked them if you could come with us to check out some apartments this weekend. You know, if you want to spend a weekend in New York City with your boring old brother and his beautiful boyfriend."

Mattie's face lit up like the fourth of July as he nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh, and we have to figure in distance too, Blaine," I added.

"Distance?"

"It would be nice if we could find a place that was centralized between NYADA, NYU, and Parsons. I know _I_ don't want to lug samples across town to Parsons."

I had been accepted to Parsons for fashion design and marketing; the best fashion school in the country. When I told my Dad and Carole, they couldn't be more proud of me for both getting in and pursuing a dream that _I_ wanted. There was a lot of crying that day.

"That's a good point," Blaine agreed, marking off a few more potential homes in the newspaper ad in front of him with a sigh.

We settled into contented silence when we noticed just how quiet it had gotten.

"Mattie?" I asked, looking at him with a curious expression. It was never this quiet when the youngest Anderson was around. Why was that?

"Huh?" He asked, still not looking at me. I followed his gaze across the park to a boy sitting on a bench by the pond reading a book. He looked to be about Mattie's age, if not taller; both the Anderson boys were cursed in the height department. The boy brushed his black hair out of his eyes and turned the page.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" I offered.

That got Mattie's attention, whipping his head around quickly to gawk at me.

"I can't just go _talk to him_, Kurt! Do you even know who that _is_?"

By now we had caught Blaine's attention as he too looked over the boy on the bench.

"Uh, no?"

"That's Ian Mitchell," he said in a hushed tone, as if the other boy would hear if he said his name too loud. "He's the prettiest boy in school. All the girls have crushes on him, but he always turns them down. He's super nice, though, and smart and funny and a good speller."

"Hmm," Blaine smirked, looking at me with a knowing expression. I smiled back at him with a nod. "Mattie, why don't you go and talk to him? I'm sure he would like to hear you say some of those things."

Mattie blushed a bit at the idea, looking back over at Ian, who was looking over in our direction for what must have been the fourth time since our conversation started.

"Yeah, I think he wants to talk to you, Mattie," I said honestly.

He looked back at Ian, who looked away quickly again. Mattie smiled a little wider and nodded to us, leaving and heading toward the dark haired boy.

"Do you think Mattie likes that boy?" I asked when he was out of earshot.

"I don't know," Blaine smiled, watching as Mattie talked with the other boy. Ian laughed at something Mattie said, putting down his book and walking toward the pond with Mattie at his side.

Just then, my phone beeped in my pocket. I groaned a little, pulling it from its place.

"Queen Bee?" Blaine asked with a bit of a grumble.

I nodded sympathetically, reading her text.

_(4:34pm) To Kurt:_

_Hey, you need to get over here, stat! I need to pick out the right dresses for this weekend and I need your help._

I looked at Blaine who, though he was learning to tolerate Rachel, was scowling at my phone like he was trying to set it on fire.

_(4:36pm) From Kurt:_

_Relax, Rachel, we still have two days to pack and it's just a visit to find a house. I'm busy right now. I'll come over tomorrow morning and help you sort through things. Okay?_

_(4:37pm) To Kurt:_

_Fine. I'll see you then. Give Blaine a kiss for me._

I tucked my phone away with a smile. Since Nationals, Rachel has been a lot better with the over demanding, territorial thing.

"So what'd she say?" Blaine asked aggressively. "Are you leaving now?"

I smiled darkly at him, pulling him in for a hungry kiss. His eyes widened at the sudden contact but didn't pull away. Instead, he kind of melted into my arms, his hands clutching into my shirt. I moved to his neck, placing wet kisses up and down the smooth column of skin.

"No," I breathed, "But she told me to give you a kiss for her."

"_Fuck_, if this is a kiss from Rachel, what is a kiss from _you_ like?"

I pulled back to look mischievously into his eyes. "My kisses are for places Rachel could never _dream_ of going."

Blaine gaped at me. "Why, Kurt, did you just make a dirty joke?"

"I think you're rubbing off on me."

"That's not _all_ I can rub on you," Blaine said, earning a loud laugh from me.

Another familiar laugh pulled our attention elsewhere. Looking up, we found Mattie and Ian staring into the pond. They stood as close they dared, keeping a slightly awkward space between them. Ian pointed to something far out in the pond, losing his balance and falling toward the water. Just in time, Mattie pulled him backward, toppling them both to the ground. Mattie's hand remained on Ian's as they stared, shocked at each other. Even from where we were sitting, Blaine and I could see the blush creep onto Ian's cheeks. They stood, only this time, Ian kept Mattie's hand in his.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"They almost look like us, you know," I whispered to Blaine, leaning back on him.

Blaine wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder with a sigh. "Ah, young love."

"What's up, Klainers?" called a familiar voice. Tina approached us from across the field. She was in a bikini top and shorts, her long raven hair let down freely. She bent down to retrieve a Frisbee that she must have missed.

"What?" Blaine snorted.

"Klainers. It's a combination name, like Finn and Rachel are Finchel and Mike and I are Tike," she said, waving to Mike Chang who stood across the park in only a pair of shorts.

"But Klainers?" I asked, laughing a little.

"Yeah, Kurt and Blainers, becomes Klainers."

"Wait a minute, since when am I Blainers?" Blaine barked.

"What are you guys doing?" Tina asked, ignoring his question.

"Just hanging out," I replied, trying to calm a confused Blaine. "And looking for apartments in the city. You're lucky you have another year. Being an adult is hard."

"Yeah, but I'll miss My Chang next year when he goes to that fancy dance school." I giggled at her nickname for Mike and wondered if Blaine and I would ever have them. "Well, I guess I'd better get back to him. I'll see you later, boys."

We waved to her as she retreated back the way she had come. Instead of throwing the Frisbee like Mike was expecting, she ran at him with a delighted squeal, jumping into his arms. He caught her by the waist, spinning her around as they shared a kiss.

After Nationals, Tina had also been freed from Rachel's wrath. When I had spoken to her about being able to be her own Leading Lady next year she had shook her head, saying that she would never put another person through what we had been through. Instead she would lead the New Directions fairly and openly.

"I'm going to miss her, Blainers."

"Now don't _you _start with that!" Blaine laughed, jabbing me in the sides, effectively making me squeak. Blaine's brow knit, as if he was confused for a moment. His hands began to shake a little bit and my eyes widened in horror because I knew that look.

"Blaine. No. No Blaine, don't you _dare_."

He winced comically, holding his wrist with his other hand. "Kurt! Kurt what's happening to me? Kurt!"

I jumped up from my spot, ready to run.

"Blaine _no!" _I laughed.

Blaine stood too, holding his hand down at his side with the other, trying to control himself. "Kurt, what's going on? Don't leave me! What is happen-happening to me?"

"_Blaine,_"

"It's like they-"

"Don't!"

"-Have a mind of their own!"

That's when he ran at me, arms at the ready for his assault. I sprinted as fast as I could from him, leaving our books behind. But even though I was taller than Blaine, he was faster. He collided with me soon after, sending us to the ground in a giggling heap.

"_Blaine_!" I shrieked, as he attacked my side with his vicious fingers. I tried to get away from him, but he had trapped me; one leg on either side of my waist.

"Hush, baby, I'll make you scream my name later," he laughed.

He continued his assault, making tears stream down my face. "Agh! P-p-please! I can't, I can't breathe! I'll do anything!"

He stopped then, pinning my arms above my head and leaning down close.

"Anything?" He asked darkly.

My eyes widened a bit as the blush crept up onto my cheeks but I nodded quickly, desperate to not be tickled again.

"Hmm, I could think of a few things." With that, Blaine leaned down and kissed me. It was all tongue and teeth and passion. Normally I would have been outraged at this kind of public affection, but between the tickling and his kisses, my brain was completely scrambled.

A clearing of the throat stopped Blaine's new mission of touching my tonsils. He turned to see Mattie standing with his friend. We both blushed. Public or not, making out in front of Blaine's little brother was kind of embarrassing. We scrambled to our feet, dusting each other off.

"Hey guys, this is Ian," he said, ignoring the awkward moment and addressing the taller boy next to him.

"_Ian_?" Blaine asked mockingly. I nudged him in the side and gave him a look that told him to behave himself.

"Ian, this is my big brother Blaine and his boyfriend Kurt."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ian," I answered.

Ian looked between us as if we were mythical creatures with extra eyes and wings. What was his deal?

"So you're, like, boyfriends?" Ian asked, looking from us to Mattie and back again.

Oh. I got it then.

"That's right," Blaine supplied, wrapping an arm around my waist.

Ian looked at us with his striking, bright blue eyes for a moment more before his face split into a smile so wide I thought it might break in half.

"That's so cool!"

"I think so," Blaine smiled, looking at me.

The four of us headed back to our tree, gathering up our books and bags. As I picked up one of books, a small piece of paper fell from inside it. I bent down to pick it up with a nostalgic smile. It was a picture Mattie had taken of Blaine and I, the night we had won Nationals. Blaine had put his hand out to block the picture as he kissed me. When the film had developed Mattie had given it to me saying that it was his favorite. I had to agree.

"Blaine, I was wondering if Ian could come over for dinner tonight?" Mattie asked hopefully.

"I don't see why not. I think that's a great idea!" his older brother said with a clap of his hands. "Kurt, do you want to come over as well? We could make it a double date."

Mattie's face blanched at the suggestion but Ian seemed to be on board.

"That's a great idea, Blaine."

"You know, I really like your shirt, Mattie," Ian said to him. "Violet is my favorite color."

Mattie turned back to look at Blaine with an expression I could only describe as elation.

"It's my favorite color too!"

As we headed out of the park, Mattie and Ian in front of us, still holding hands, I thought of what the future might hold for us. Blaine and I. It seemed so natural, our domestic way of life. I had a sudden flash, years ahead in time, when Blaine and I would go to Central Park with our own son or daughter. Our child coming up to us with a new friend or possible lover in tow, asking to come over to _our _house for dinner. It all seemed so perfect and possible.

Blaine turned to me, taking in my profile and kissed me on the cheek. And I knew then that Blaine and I would be together for a long time. Whether it was set by fate or my own actions, I had somehow become the Leading Man in someone's life. A wingman, no more.

**Well, I think that's it. The end of Life of a Wingman. I hope you liked it. Thank you so much to everyone who stuck with it the whole way through, you have no idea what it means to me. If you're interested, I'm working on another fic now and I hope to have it out in a couple of months, so keep your eyes peeled! Again, thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you soon!**

**Love Always, Emily**


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